Cowan wrapped up his rookie campaign with the club by appearing in 66 games, recording 11 goals and 18 assists, to go along with a plus-minus rating of minus-five. After struggling to find himself as a regular in the lineup during the early portion of the season, the 20-year-old really solidified himself down the stretch, finishing with nine points over his final 15 games.
“I’d give him a great grade. I think it’s one of the big positives from a really tough season. The fact that he was eager to play more hockey is great,” Masters said. “There was the Olympic break when he went about a month without playing because of the healthy scratches on either side of it, but the fact physically he’s feeling good, he’s eager to play more hockey, and he’s going to get some professional experience this season in a playoff environment, I think it’s great. It’s heartening, I think, for Leafs fans to see what Cowan was able to do in what was a team-wide tough season for the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
For the past nine seasons, the playoffs have been the norm in Toronto, with the team not missing the playoffs since the year prior to drafting Auston Matthews. With the locker room cleanout coming earlier than many have come to expect, Masters spoke about the differences in the team’s vibe.
“A really weird vibe because the last time I was in this environment with the Leafs missing the playoffs was kind of by design, right? That was a dignified tank and finishing last and putting themselves in a position to draft Auston Matthews. It does feel weird. I had a few of these types of seasons early on at TSN where the Leafs were trying to be good, and the 18-wheelers were going off the cliff, and there was a lot of angst within the fanbase, so you know it is a weird feeling,” Masters said. “You’re watching playoff hockey on the couch, and you’re kind of jealous. I’m sure a lot of Leaf fans and my fellow reporters are feeling that.”
Many people have pointed to the Maple Leafs’ eight-game losing streak following the Olympic break as the point that sealed the team’s fate, but Masters points to a different stretch of games that really was the deciding factor on how this year wrapped up.
“I feel like that five-game homestand before the Olympics felt like the end of the season to me. Mitch Marner coming in, they [Maple Leafs] were downplaying it, and then they came out flat to start that game. The next game was the afternoon game against Colorado, and William Nylander flashing the bird to the TSN camera, then Buffalo came in and had a very strong win,” Masters said. “That just felt like everything was done, and the vibes really shifted after that. It really felt like that homestand with the Marner game being so anticipated, the crowd was pumped up, and the Leafs came out flat. Nylander was hurt, and it felt like at that moment the season kind of slipped away.”
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