Darren Dreger says the Maple Leafs have no appetite for moving Easton Cowan, and the message lines up with what Elliotte Friedman had already suggested: Toronto likes what it has seen too much to treat him like a trade chip.
That stance makes plenty of sense based on the start Cowan has put together. He has been a major force offensively, chipped in on defense and the penalty kill, and brought the kind of energy that can change the feel of a game. The Maple Leafs have him riding on the top line with Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic, and he has delivered 12 points in 13 games.
That production is already closing in on last season’s total of 29 points in 66 games, and the current pace points to something far bigger. If he keeps this up, he is projected for 34 goals and 77 points, which would be a massive jump from one year to the next and a strong sign Toronto may have uncovered a future star forward.
Dreger was direct about where the team stands on him. “I don't think they have any interest in Toronto in trading him.”
The reason the organization feels so firm now is that Cowan looks like a different player from the one Toronto was still figuring out how to use earlier. Friedman had already noted this season that the club was becoming less willing to discuss him in trade talks after he started settling in, even though there had been a point in the summer when he was viewed as part of the kind of package that could headline a blockbuster move.
The gap in his role tells the story. Under Craig Berube, Cowan averaged 14:43 of ice time across 66 games, but the team’s situation forced opportunities his way even when it was not always eager to give them. Under Hiller, in 13 games, he has averaged 15:09 and taken on a much different workload.
The zone deployment has changed too. Berube started him in the offensive zone 61.9% of the time and in his own end 38.1% of the time. This season, that split is right down the middle at 50-50, a sign that he is being trusted with more demanding minutes.
He is not just getting more responsibility either. His numbers have improved across the board, his confidence is obvious, and he has repeatedly been the player who gets things moving for Toronto, whether that means scoring or setting up teammates.
The hidden value is in the jobs that do not always jump out on a stat sheet. Cowan is being asked to handle hard matchups, work on the penalty kill, and go over the boards late when the Leafs are protecting a lead. That combination of offense and utility is exactly why Toronto appears unwilling to entertain the idea of moving him now.
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Leafs Let Another Winnable Game Slip As Line Questions Grow
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The bigger issue, though, may be the constant shuffling behind it all. With John Tavares and Kirill Marchenko out, the Leafs are still working through line combinations and trying to find a stable rhythm, and Hiller acknowledged the effort was there even as key mistakes kept costing them. When a team is already patching up its forward group, every penalty, every missed assignment, and every late breakdown feels magnified. [Read more 🡒]