Insider makes shocking declaration about the Leafs trading Easton Cowan
For the past several seasons, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been in "win now" mode, as the likes of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly are all in their prime years. As a result of where they are in their contention window, it has sparked a great deal of dialogue as to where the Leafs should stand with regard to the limited assets they have ahead of the trade deadline.
In years past, we have seen the Pittsburgh Penguins empty the cupboards and win multiple Stanley Cups. So, too, did we see the Chicago Blackhawks do the same and skate away with 3 Cups in a 5-year span. We have also seen the Tampa Bay Lightning part with their top picks and prospects to bring in players that helped them win back-to-back Cups in 2020 and 2021. What we're witnessing now is a pretty steep fall by all of these organizations, with the Hawks being furthest along in terms of trying to build their way back up, as the Lightning and Penguins continue to slide down in the opposite direction.
The Leafs hold quite a few nice assets in Fraser Minten, Easton Cowan, their 2024 and 2026 1st round picks, RHD prospect Topi Niemela and a pretty solid goaltending prospect in Dennis Hildeby. If the Leafs really did want to empty the cupboards and go for it, they certainly have the pieces to make multiple impact moves. However, the question of "should they?" is a fair one to ask.
On Wednesday's edition of Real Kyper and Bourne, former NHLer Nick Kypreos said that if he's the Leafs, there's nothing off the table. He started with OHL superstar in the making, Easton Cowan.
His comment on Cowan drew a few surprise gasps, with the most obvious retort being that Cowan is a player who might turn into a 100-point player in the NHL if he keeps going the way he's going now with his development. Kypreos isn't sold on the idea that a junior standout will become an NHL standout, as we're seeing with Nicholas Robertson right now, as Robertson continues to battle for a middle six roster spot.
In terms of who Kypreos would like to see come to Toronto in a trade for Cowan, he targeted one of Arizona's feisty wingers in Lawson Crouse, whose game is tailor-made for the playoffs.
Crouse, a former 1st round pick in 2015, stands 6'4 and 215 lbs, is just 26 years old, and has scored 20 or more goals in each of his last 3 seasons on a bad Coyotes team. There's no question that a guy like that could really help the Leafs in their top 9 and immediately make them tougher to play against and very dangerous in the middle of their lineup.
Crouse is a player who puts up an average of 166 hits per season, has averaged around 17 minutes per game over the last 3 seasons and, most importantly, would be a nightmare to play against in the playoffs. Crouse, a natural left winger, is also signed signed through 2026-27 at a very reasonable $4.3M per season, so the Leafs would get multiple playoff runs out of the hulking winger.
Coincidentally, both Cowan and Crouse hail from Mount Brydges, Ontario, which would be quite the story if two players from the small Ontario village with a population of less than 3,000 were traded for one another.
Whether you agree or disagree with Kypreos, it's hard to deny that a player like Crouse might be just what this team needs for a long playoff run. As we know, the playoffs are a different beast and with how the Leafs have been bullied by teams like Tampa and Florida in the past, adding a player like Crouse would certainly add some size and snarl and make them a lot tougher to play against.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 22 | 711 ANSWERS Insider makes shocking declaration about the Leafs trading Easton Cowan Would you trade Easton Cowan if it meant bringing back Lawson Crouse? | ||
| Yes | 231 | 32.5 % |
| No | 480 | 67.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
