Brad Treliving knows as well as anyone how important Easton Cowan is to the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs. That’s why the GM is taking extra time to determine the best development path for the young forward.
“You want to do what’s right for the long term,” Treliving said Friday on The Fan Hockey Show. “We think Easton is going to be a major part of this team moving forward. Now is that now, is that starting a year from now, we’ll see. We’ve got a few days to play this out but we’re going to do ultimately what’s really important for Easton.”
Cowan is one of a handful of players still competing for a spot in the Maple Leafs’ forward group heading into the final weekend of the pre-season. If the 19-year-old is cut, he’ll head back to the OHL’s London Knights where he was the league MVP on a championship-winning team last season.
The tricky piece of the puzzle for the Maple Leafs is that Cowan isn’t yet eligible to play in the AHL. So the Maple Leafs must decide whether playing in the NHL or OHL is best for their most prized prospect.
“I get it, the fans, everybody gets excited. We want to see the new toy. But experience teaches you a lot of things… You can really impact a guy negatively trying to rush him versus developing him properly,” Treliving said. “That’s not to say we’ve made any decisions yet on Easton (but) we’re thinking long term with him.”
Cowan has appeared in all five pre-season games for the Maple Leafs so far, collecting two assists. Treliving said he was impressed by Cowan’s skill and high-compete level but made sure to highlight the other forwards battling for roles. That list includes Steven Lorentz and Max Pacioretty on tryout contracts as well as prospects Nikita Grebyonkin and Jacob Quillan, who will begin the season in the AHL but could be recalled to the big club if a spot opens up later in the season.
The Maple Leafs close the pre-season at home on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings and have to set their initial roster by Monday before opening the season on Wednesday against the Canadiens. Treliving said while the final decisions are tough, having the depth his team has will be beneficial long-term.
“You become a good team when you’ve got that internal push from the bottom and we’re starting to get that,” Treliving said. “We’ve got one more game to go and then we’ve got some decisions to make. It’s a better scenario than sitting there wondering where all the players are.”
