The perfect linemates for Easton Cowan if he makes the Maple Leafs this season
There's been a lot of talk in Toronto about Easton Cowan potentially making the Maple Leafs out of training camp this season, and if that happens, there are a few ideal linemates for him.
The 19-year-old London Knights standout really seems to have made a believer out of many within Leafs Nation who may have been surprised to see the Leafs select him with the 28th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Last fall, we saw Cowan defy the odds and stick around a lot longer than anyone expected him to during training camp. Ultimately, he was shipped back to London for another season in the OHL. It appears to have been the right move as Cowan lit the league on fire last season, winning both regular season MVP and playoffs MVP, as well as securing an OHL championship.
We're still several weeks away from NHL training camps opening up, but when they do, all eyes in Toronto will almost certainly be on Cowan to see if he can defy the odds once again, this time making the big club.
Should Cowan succeed, there are a number of potential linemates who make sense for him to start his NHL career with, regardless of whether his stay is brief or a lengthy one. Obviously, Cowan will begin in the bottom six in Toronto if he does make the team out of camp, but as far as who would make the most ideal linemates for him, the first guy I have on my list is Max Domi.
Not only has Domi been around the block with a number of NHL teams during his career, but he also happens to be someone who will not tolerate anyone taking any liberties on his teammates. Cowan is not afraid to stick up for himself, even dropping the gloves when the situation calls for it, but when you're a young kid entering the NHL, it can be intimidating knowing that most guys are going to be both bigger and stronger than you are. Domi will even the playing field.
While not the biggest guy in his own right, Max Domi is fearless and will drop the gloves in a moment's notice if he feels as though someone has crossed a line with one of his teammates. Just this past season, Domi tuned up Simon Nemec after the rookie defenseman bumped Auston Matthews along the wall and gave him a bit of a shove for good measure.
Not only does Domi have the short fuse to help deter anyone crossing any lines with Cowan, but both Domi and Cowan have the hands to make plays and the shot to finish things off. While both players are more pass-first in nature, we have seen them both uncork some lasers from time to time, so as long as they're paired with more of a shooter as the third piece, things should work out well.
So who should play the opposite flank if Cowan is 3LW and Domi is 3C? I know he appears poised to earn a spot in the top-6 in training camp, but I'd put Bobby McMann on the 3rd line RW, where he spent some time last season before being elevated into a top-6 role prior to his injury.
McMann, unlike Domi and Cowan, is a big body, standing 6'2 and 210 lbs. The best part about McMann, though, is that he's not just big - he's also deceptively fast. One of the fastest players in the entire National Hockey League in fact. He makes an ideal linemate for Domi and Cowan for a few reasons.
First, all 3 players can play with tremendous speed. When you can skate like these guys can skate, you can back off defenders and create some dangerous rush chances.
Second, McMann has shown his ability to score goals. While it took him a bit to find his footing at the NHL level and trust his shot a bit more, he was scoring at a high rate in the AHL, so it seemed like only a matter of time until the goal production came at the NHL level.
McMann put up 15 goals in 56 games last season, which is a 22-goal pace over 82 games. He did that while playing limited minutes as well, averaging just over 11 and a half minutes of ice time per game. With both Domi and Cowan being gifted playmakers, McMann could really thrive on a line with them as the designated trigger man.
Finally, while Domi isn't the most trustworthy player defensively, McMann is very underrated defensively. Cowan also plays a sound defensive game, though there is admittedly a large gap between the OHL and the NHL. But it's not the defense that I'm focused on here, it's the fact that all 3 players are excellent in transition and can catch teams by surprise when transitioning from defense to offense. Given the fact that all 3 guys are fast and have good hockey IQ, this line has the makings of an offensive odd-man rush engine for Craig Berube and the new Maple Leafs' coaching staff. Berube, a north-south coach, would probably love this line, if they were to receive a look together.
Just a quick look at what the Leafs could look like with this trio acting as the third line:
Knies-Matthews-Marner
Jarnkrok-Tavares-Nylander
Cowan-Domi-McMann
Holmberg-Kampf-Reaves
Of course, this lineup would change if Nick Robertson signs an extension and/or Fraser Minten also makes the team.
I really do believe that a Cowan-Domi-McMann line has the potential to create some mismatches and can be a very effective line. Whether or not it comes to fruition is another discussion entirely.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 30 | 1516 ANSWERS The perfect linemates for Easton Cowan if he makes the Maple Leafs this season Do you think Craig Berube should run a Cowan-Domi-McMann 3rd line if Easton Cowan makes the team out of training camp? | ||
| Yes | 1176 | 77.6 % |
| No | 340 | 22.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
