Easton Cowan is starting to make the noise around his draft slot look pretty hollow.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs grabbed him 28th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, there was plenty of skepticism about whether they had reached. Cowan had flashed game-breaking ability with the London Knights, but not everybody was sold on him as a true first-round talent.
One of the louder skeptics was The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, who had Cowan ranked 97th before that draft. Now, after watching Cowan’s strong play as a 20-year-old in the NHL, Wheeler has changed his tune.
“Several teams I spoke to thought the Maple Leafs took him early when they drafted him at the end of the first round in 2023. But in hindsight, Wes Clark picked him more or less exactly where he belonged.”
Wheeler points to Cowan’s work ethic as a major reason for the forward’s growth. That development has been enough to convince him that Cowan should have a real path to becoming a bona fide top-six forward next season.
He went even further, calling Cowan a legitimate first-round pick.
“And while his game can still tunnel vision at times, he has looked like a first-rounder since the very first games he played post-draft back in London.”
That’s the key takeaway for the Maple Leafs: Cowan has earned more than a depth role. Playing time is precious in the NHL, but if he’s already showing the kind of growth Wheeler is talking about, then keeping him buried in the bottom six doesn’t make much sense.
The argument here is simple - give Cowan a real chance up the lineup next season.
A look at a line like Gavin McKenna, John Tavares, and Easton Cowan isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. Two high-end young players flanking a responsible veteran would fit nicely.
And yes, there’s the obvious question of where that leaves William Nylander. But the source of the debate is right there too: Nylander has a tendency to vanish for long stretches. If that happens again, Cowan looks like the kind of player who should be ready to step into the top six and run with it.
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