Brad Treliving confirms that nothing will be handed to Cowan, Minten

The Toronto Maple Leafs were very busy and active on the first day of free agency after they signed defensemen Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jani Hakanpaa and goaltender Anthony Stolarz to the active roster. Offensively, they had to let Tyler Bertuzzi walk after he priced himself out and signed with the Chicago Blackhawks for 4 years at $5.5M per season. They did extend Max Domi, but that still leaves a few holes in the top-9.

The Leafs will more than likely add a forward from the free agent pool, but they could also look internally to fill the gaps whether that would come from the minors or perhaps one or two of their budding young prospects within the pipeline. If they go with the latter option, that could mean Minten or Cowan could don the blue and white next season, however, Treliving confirms that a roster spot is not guaranteed for either prospect as they still have to earn their stripes to play in the big leagues.

Brad Treliving wants to add at forward still and told the media on Monday that Minten and Cowan must prove they can play "in the man's league" if they want a roster spot. Treliving is open to the organization's two top prospects earning a role, but doesn't want to gift them spots out of training camp - a good message for the veteran GM to be sending.

Minten surprised the hockey world at last year's training camp, so much so that the youngster cracked the opening night roster in 2023-24. He appeared in 4 games before being loaned back to the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, but it was a big step for the 19-year-old, who wasn't expected to play in the NHL quite yet.

Minten scored 3 goals and 10 points in 7 games for the Blazers before being traded to the Saskatoon Blades, where he scored 19 goals and 38 points in 36 regular season games. He would add 8 goals and 14 points in 16 post-season contests.

As for Cowan, he had another scintillating season for the London Knights, where he scored 34 goals and 96 points in just 54 games. He would then add 10 goals and 34 points in 18 post-season contests, helping London take home the OHL crown.

Both players are expected to play major roles for the Maple Leafs somewhere down the line, but it remains to be seen if that's going to be in 2024-25 or beyond.

Source for Fraser Minten's statistics: HockeyDB
Fraser Minten

Source for Easton Cowan's statistics: HockeyDB
Easton Cowan