After a 5-2 loss to the Flames, Jim Hiller didn’t point the finger at Easton Cowan, even after the young forward took the blame in the aftermath of a rough night.
The head coach made clear that the defeat was a team issue from top to bottom. “I commend him for taking responsibility, but he didn’t cost us the game,” Hiller said.
Hiller said the biggest problem was straightforward: too many giveaways. “I don’t know.
Turned the puck over way too much. I thought we had-certainly over the last four games-taken that out of our game.
It was there in spades tonight, and we can’t win in the league if you do that. We saw that.”
He expanded on that point when asked about Cowan specifically, noting that the mistakes weren’t limited to one player. “He made a couple mistakes, but no, there’s no singular person that is going to take the blame for this loss.
That was up and down the lineup. We turned it over too much, and then we didn’t defend great once we did.”
Cowan’s second period drew a different kind of review from his coach. Hiller said the young player was one of the team’s best skaters after the first frame, but added that the group can’t keep leaning on him to carry that load.
“He probably was our best player after the first period, right? But we need that from the start, and it’s hard to lean on Easton all the time, right?
We’ve talked about him a lot, and there’s other players in the lineup that need to step up as well, not just the youngest or the second youngest guy out there.”
He added that Cowan’s response after the early trouble was exactly what the team needed. “He gets a pass.
He’s worked hard. He came back, and he redeemed himself.
That’s the least of my concerns.”
Hiller also pointed to Sergei Bobrovsky as one of the few bright spots. “He gave us a chance.
He gave us a chance. Certainly, it wasn’t anything that he did.
He had plenty of good saves, gave us a chance to come back, and we, like I said, turned it over and didn’t take advantage of the few opportunities we did have.”
There was no debate from Hiller on the third-period faceoff penalty assessed to Auston Matthews. “It really doesn’t matter what I think.
It’s called a penalty, so it’s a penalty. I’m not going to argue with the referee on that.”
He said the official explained the call by saying, “He said it hit his glove, and that’s the rule. If it’s down and he uses his glove.
I’m not going to argue with him. He made the call.
He saw it closer than I did.”
The game also came with another injury concern, as Kirill Marchenko left in the second period and did not return. Hiller said there was no complete update yet, but the early sign was not encouraging.
“I don’t have the full update. He couldn’t come back and finish the game, so that’s never a good sign.”
With the injuries piling up, Hiller said someone else has to step in and help absorb the loss. “Somebody’s going to have to do it.
That’s the point. I can’t fill it.
Somebody’s going to have to fill it.”
He added that the group as a whole has to be sharper for that to matter. “Again, if you have a bad night as a group, nobody can fill that.
It just takes the group to play well, and then somebody can step up and fill that hole. But if you’re not going to play cohesive and you turn the puck over, then it really doesn’t matter who’s going to fill that.”
One player Hiller singled out for positive work was Zack MacEwen, who helped swing momentum with a fight, a drawn penalty and several chances. “It’s why he’s in the lineup every night. And then he draws the penalty at the end, and it has a good chance.”
He closed by praising the impact MacEwen brings in limited minutes. “He’s been tremendous for us.
In seven, eight, or nine minutes a night, every night, he’s impacting the game in a positive way. That’s the job: Impact the game in a positive way.
He did that.”
In Other News...
Leafs Leave Door Open To Another Massive Roster Move
With the Maple Leafs still trying to sharpen their defensive play, John Chayka left the door open to another major roster shakeup. The general manager said Toronto has discussed upgrading the blue line, but also stressed that a trade is not the only path to solving the problem, giving the club some room to explore different ways of making the group harder to play against.
Chayka also addressed the kind of assets that could come into play if the Leafs do make another move, including Easton Cowan. While he made clear the organization values the young forward, he did not frame him as untouchable, and he also pointed to Torontos salary cap flexibility as a factor that could help if the right opportunity surfaces. [Read more 🡒]
Easton Cowans Rise Is Creating A Real Leafs Dilemma
John Chaykas latest comments put a spotlight on the kind of internal evaluation that can shape a teams future as much as any trade deadline decision. He stressed that easing Gavin McKennas usage in late-game situations should be viewed as part of healthy development, not a demotion, while also making it clear that Easton Cowan has moved well past the point of being merely a promising prospect. In Chaykas view, Cowan has fit naturally with the Maple Leafs and has already outperformed early expectations.
For Toronto, that kind of rise creates an awkward kind of good problem. When a young player starts looking like a real part of the solution, the conversation quickly shifts from patience to value, from development to roster fit, and eventually to what the organization can realistically afford to protect. Chayka stopped short of putting Cowan in the untouchable category, but his praise left no doubt that the Leafs have a player whose stock is climbing at exactly the wrong time for anyone hoping the roster picture stays simple. [Read more 🡒]
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For Toronto, the encouraging part is simply seeing Tanev on the ice with the group again, even if there is still no confirmed timeline for his return to game action. The Leafs have had to keep moving without him, and until he sheds that non-contact designation, his status remains one of those quiet but important stories to watch in the background. [Read more 🡒]