Cowan has skated in all of the Leafs' pre-season games so far during training camp, but has not done a ton to stand out or control games. Head coach Craig Berube was very blunt when he was asked about how Cowan would make the team early in training camp, saying that Cowan had to show he didn't have 'junior habits' anymore.
Unfortunately, throughout the pre-season, those junior habits have shown up for Cowan, which is why TSN's Darren Dreger believes Cowan will be going back to the OHL's London Knights.
The 2023 first-round pick is coming off of an MVP season with the Knights that included a ridiculous 34-game point-streak and finished the season with 34 goals and 96 points during the regular season. He and the Knights won the OHL Championship, but fell a goal short in the Memorial Cup.
In speaking with Sportsnet's Luke Fox this week about his future, Cowan was very open to the idea of being sent back to the OHL.
While the best place for him to develop further would be the AHL, the 19-year-old is not eligible to be sent to the Toronto Marlies due to the NHL/CHL agreement that requires him to be sent back to junior. Although he seemingly accomplished everything he could at the junior level, Cowan should be given the opportunity to play an important role for Team Canada in December at the World Juniors as well as help London get back to the Memorial Cup.
POLL | ||
4 OCTOBRE | 3057 ANSWERS Insider Reveals Likely Decision for Maple Leafs and Easton Cowan Is sending Cowan back to Junior the right decision? | ||
Yes | 2125 | 69.5 % |
No | 364 | 11.9 % |
He should get a couple regular season games | 568 | 18.6 % |
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