Through two pre-season games, Cowan has left a lot to be desired, eben though he still played relatively well. The big concern heading into Thursday's game was that he hasn't really done anything spectacular or stood out in any way.
With Auston Matthews out with an upper-body injury last night, Cowan was elevated into the top-six for Thursday's game, alongside Marner and Domi, where he played a pre-season high 15:28, with pace, energy and a chip on his shoulder, recording three shots, two hits and a block.
Following the game, Berube was asked about Cowan's play on the Leafs' top line. Needless to say, the coach was impressed.
Berube's comments begin at the 10:15 mark in the link provided below.
While he hasn't scored, Cowan has looked better and better with each passing game as noted by Berube. When training camp began, Berube disclosed what Cowan needed to do to earn a roster spot, which revolved around eliminating some of the junior habits. Unfortunately, given the number of forwards that the Leafs have at training camp, unless he completely dominates the next game or two, he may very well be heading back to the London Knights at some point before the Leafs kick off their regular season.
The 2023 first-round pick is coming off of quite the season for the London Knights, where he tallied 96 points in 54 regular season contests before adding an additional 34 points in 18 playoff games en route to an OHL championship.
POLL | ||
27 SEPTEMBRE | 1637 ANSWERS Leafs Coach Craig Berube Provides His Assessment of Easton Cowan's Game Against Canadiens Have you been impressed with Cowan's training camp? | ||
Yes | 489 | 29.9 % |
No, it's been underwhelming | 422 | 25.8 % |
It's been okay | 726 | 44.3 % |
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