Easton Cowan still not over Radko Gudas moment, admits regret: Leafs Morning Take
If you stayed up late on Tuesday night, you got a chance to see Nicolas Roy score an OT winner for the Colorado Avalanche.
Better yet, Nazem Kadri picked up the secondary helper as the Avalanche tool a 2-0 series lead on Scott Laughton’s Los Angeles Kings.
The sample size is small, but through two playoff games, Roy’s looked every part of the guy who stood out in Vegas for years. Unfortunately, his journey in Toronto was a bit more turbulent.
That’s where the conversation started on the Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take as David Pagnotta filled in for Jay Rosehill. Elsewhere, Logan Cooley scored the third-period game-winner as Utah edged Vegas 3–2 to even the series at one. In the Eastern Conference, J.J. Moser played overtime hero, lifting Tampa Bay to a 3–2 win over Montreal to tie that series at one apiece. Meanwhile, Boston doubled up Buffalo 4–2, knotting that series 1–1 as well.
On the Leafs front, things remain quiet as the team awaits its next general manager. That said, Pagnotta did share some new information—most notably, he mentioned Tie Domi as a name the Leafs may be considering for a role within the organization. For the GM position, names like Evan Gold, Ryan Bowness, Scott White, John Chayka, and Ryan Martin continue to be at the forefront of all this. At this point, there’s no telling when a decision will be made.
After that, Leafs rookie Easton Cowan stopped by ahead of the Calder Cup Playoffs to reflect on a whirlwind rookie season and what lies ahead with the Marlies. The 2023 first-round pick touched on scoring his first NHL goal in Philadelphia, adjusting to the daily grind with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the biggest lessons he’s taken from his first taste of the league. Cowan also got candid about the knee-on-knee incident involving Radko Gudas and Auston Matthews, admitting he still feels a sense of regret over how he initially handled the moment—something that’s shaping his mindset and approach moving forward. He went on to discuss his first NHL fight, his evolving identity as a player, and the intensity required to succeed at the pro level, while also previewing Toronto’s upcoming AHL playoff run.
Jay Rosehill will be back in the mix for the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We’ll talk playoffs, and also the latest on the GM search. Additionally, we had a chance to catch up with Marlies forward Jacob Quillan.