Maple Leafs prospect checkpoint: How has Easton Cowan fared through 5 months of 2025-26?
He showed up to training camp in 2025-26 and performed excellently, finding early chemistry with Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz on the fourth line, and played well enough to crack the Maple Leafs’ opening night roster. He didn’t get into his first NHL game until the third game of the season against the Detroit Red Wings, but impressed head coach Craig Berube enough to give the 20-year-old rookie a string of games in the big leagues. He played in ten games from there, recording his first NHL goal against the Philadelphia Flyers and notching three assists, before the team decided that some time in the minors was best for his development.
That stay with the Marlies lasted all of two games across 12 days before the injury bug reared its ugly head on the Maple Leafs and forced them to recall him. He’s been an NHL regular for the most part since then, and to date, has seven goals and ten assists for 17 points in 43 games. These are pretty acceptable numbers for a rookie in his first season, but lately, he’s lost his ‘swagger’ (as Berube put it) and has been a healthy scratch for the past three games.
All in all, Cowan’s rookie season has been standard – he’s produced enough offence to indicate that he can keep up with the speed of the NHL, and he’s been used up and down the lineup, which makes Berube’s life easier. In that same breath, there are times where it’s painfully obvious that he’s still a rookie, between questionable decision-making with the puck and a general struggle with being pushed off the puck against established veterans. None of these are warning signs for the young first-rounder and should be easily correctable in the years to come.
The pending Olympic break should benefit Cowan arguably more than anybody outside of the players who have been battling nagging injuries all year, like Matthew Knies. Since he’s waivers-exempt, the Maple Leafs can send him to the Marlies and allow him to play big minutes down there, getting to play with fellow top prospects such as Jacob Quillan and undoubtedly earning top power play minutes as well, perhaps some time on the penalty kill, too. The Marlies have six games over the Olympic break, which should be more than enough time for Cowan to get his confidence and ‘swagger’ back and use his experience to further his game at the NHL level.
Despite the occasional struggles, Cowan is still the Maple Leafs’ clear cut top prospect and should be back with the Maple Leafs after the season resumes, hopefully with a little extra pep in his step and some newfound confidence from getting to play at a level that he should dominate at.