As part of our Maple Leafs coverage at the Toronto Sun, we’re keeping tabs on the club’s prospects, checking in on a weekly basis with the Leafs’ hopefuls across the hockey landscape.
Today, we talk to Easton Cowan, who is two games into his tenure with the Toronto Marlies after being sent to the American Hockey League by the Leafs last week.
COWAN’S NEXT STEP
Chin up, eyes forward.
There’s no other way Cowan would proceed after a solid 10-game start with the Leafs wasn’t enough to keep him in the National Hockey League. Truth be told, if not for salary-cap issues, Cowan could win an argument that he should still be with the Leafs.
He had one goal and three assists and was leading the Leafs with five penalties drawn at five-on-five when he was demoted.
“No (frustration), none at all,” Cowan said on Tuesday after the Marlies practised at the Ford Performance Centre. “I’m not worried about stuff I can’t control. Getting better every day, keep putting a good mindset forward.
“Whether I’m here (with the Marlies) or there (with the Leafs), I’m positive, being a good teammate.
“(The time with the Leafs) went really good. I felt really good, felt like I was prepared for the league and I know I can play there.”
The idea is that Cowan will play approximately 17-18 minutes a game with the Marlies. He’s on the top line right now with captain Logan Shaw and fellow veteran Travis Boyd, getting his fair share of offensive-zone starts and is in the thick of power-play plans.
With the Leafs, Cowan could lean on teammates such John Tavares and Morgan Rielly for guidance.
With the Marlies, the 33-year-old Shaw is invested in that role. As the Leafs’ top prospect, Cowan’s development is paramount, something that’s not lost on Shaw.
“A lot of these young guys now know a lot about the game, they do a lot of video, a lot of studying,” Shaw said. “For me, it’s about letting him make plays, teaching him, letting him enjoy the game.
“Be there to support him and don’t let him get hard on himself. If he makes mistakes, it’s all right. We’ll live to fight another day, just be consistent.”
That theme is shared by Marlies coach John Gruden. The Leafs know what they have in Cowan in regard to his offensive skills. The numbers, presumably, will come.
“It’s about the consistency and understanding that there’s certain things that he can get away with at the junior level that you aren’t going to get away with, even at our level here in the AHL,” Gruden said. “Once he understands the straight lines and being above the puck, that if you put yourself in a better defensive position, you’re probably going to find the puck under stick even more.
“It’s nice for him to come down and understand that he wants to work on his game. It’s definitely a good sign.”
The challenge for Cowan is hitting the reset button where adjustment is concerned. It’s a large jump, obviously, to the NHL from junior hockey. Now, it’s about making the transition to playing in a league where there’s less structure than in the NHL, where Cowan was demonstrating that he was getting comfortable.
“He’s making plays in tight areas, which sometimes might be harder in this league because it’s a little hectic, a little more chaos,” said Shaw, a veteran of 232 NHL games with five teams. “Guys aren’t always where they’re supposed to be, so it makes it harder to try to read plays.”
As the Leafs were having their pre-game naps on Tuesday afternoon in Boston before taking on the Bruins, Cowan and the rest of the Marlies were on the team’s two buses and headed west, bound for Grand Rapids, Mich.
The Marlies and Griffins will meet in a school-day game on Wednesday and will face off again on Friday night. The Marlies will return home on the weekend before finishing their string of eight consecutive road games next Wednesday in Belleville.
All the while, Cowan will do what comes naturally — work and make an impact.
“He makes our team better,” Gruden said. “We’re here to help him get where he wants to get down the road.”
SHAW’S ADVICE
Shaw hasn’t played in the NHL since Jan. 1, 2022, with the Ottawa Senators.
That absence from the NHL hasn’t taken a shot at his love of the game.
“I know where I’m at in my career,” Shaw said. “I want to be the best that I can be, but the joy that I used to get in getting called up, I get that now when other guys get called up.
“I want to push the young guys to be the best because I still want to be the best, and I still want to push myself to make sure I’m getting better every day. The way that these young guys can play now, it definitely helps me.
“When you get sent down, it’s not always for the way you play, but there’s something that you can work on in your game and try to get better and fix.
“Hopefully, after his 15-year, 20-year NHL career, (Cowan) looks back and says, ‘I needed that time with the Marlies to help get me here.’ If you can take the positives out of it, you’ll go a long way.”
For Gruden and his staff, the value of having player such as Shaw isn’t underestimated. Others who had a similar role before Shaw included Rich Clune and Kyle Clifford. Clune now is an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins while Clifford is a key member of the Leafs’ development staff.
“For (Shaw) to give some insight to Easton, it’s probably going to be even more important than any of the coaches,” Gruden said. “It’s huge. Logan been around a long time. He sets a good example for our team, and he definitely sets the example for a player like Easton.”
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