As Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smashed a grand slam into the seats at Rogers Centre on Sunday afternoon, Easton Cowan and his Toronto Maple Leafs teammates rose to their feet.
Despite being a fan of Toronto's sports teams growing up, the 20-year-old got yet another glimpse of how the city rallies around its teams during the postseason. And in seven months, Cowan could be in a position like the Toronto Blue Jays are right now, trying to bring a championship back to this city.
"It just shows how passionate Toronto fans are in any sport," Cowan said on Monday.
But before anything, Cowan needs to make the Maple Leafs. He's beaten out David Kampf and Michael Pezzetta for a spot on the roster (Kampf cleared waivers on Friday, Pezzetta was placed on waivers on Sunday).
Overall, he's had a really impressive training camp. However, on Monday at practice, the young forward was on the outside looking in, playing as the 13th forward.
In front of him were Nick Robertson (on the third line with Dakota Joshua and Max Domi) and Calle Jarnkrok (on the fourth line alongside Nicolas Roy and Steven Lorentz), who, combined, have 874 NHL games between them.
Leafs lines in practice:
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) October 6, 2025
Knies - Matthews - Maccelli
McMann - Tavares - Nylander
Joshua - Domi - Robertson
Lorentz - Roy - Jarnkrok
Cowan
Rielly - Carlo
McCabe - Tanev
Ekman-Larsson - Benoit
Thrun - Myers
Stolarz
Hildeby pic.twitter.com/fKIdO5dypd
"No decisions have been made," said Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube after Monday's practice.
(Two hours after practice concluded, Toronto claimed Sammy Blais off waivers, which could push Cowan even further down the depth chart, depending on how things shake out.)
At some point, though, Toronto will need to decide whether Cowan makes the opening night lineup or not. And if he's not on the team for the home opener on Oct. 8, does it make sense to keep him with the Maple Leafs, or send him to the AHL's Toronto Marlies?
"I think that you've got to look at where your team's at. You've got to look at, does he help us right now? What's best for him?" Berube said. "You know, young kid, but we liked him. We liked him at camp, so he's here right now."
Cowan, on the message he's received from the Maple Leafs since more roster cuts have come down: "I’m just going to keep taking it day by day. I mean, just keep attacking it. Keep working hard. Have a good mindset, be positive, and hopefully play (in the home opener)."
'That's Still Up In The Air': Maple Leafs Weigh Options With James Reimer as Dennis Hildeby Shines at Training CampBased on how the Toronto Maple Leafs practiced on Monday, it appears Dennis Hildeby will be the club’s backup goaltender behind Anthony Stolarz when the regular season opens on Oct. 8 against the Montreal Canadiens. This means the situation with James Reimer, who is on a professional tryout, remains unclear.
You have to wonder if things would've been different had Scott Laughton not suffered a lower-body injury last week. Cowan developed strong chemistry early on with Lorentz and Laughton, and it appeared like he could start the regular season on that line.
"Yeah, well, it did (affect the lines) because we lost the center," Berube said. "And so I decided to move Max (Domi) back to the middle because I'm comfortable with it, he's comfortable with it, and he's been there a lot for us."
That then shifted Robertson into the third-line spot, with Jarnkrok skating alongside Lorentz and Roy. Either way, there are positives as Cowan remains with the Maple Leafs, especially if the forward begins his NHL career in Toronto's bottom six.
"Whether you’re in the top six or bottom six in the NHL, you’re always getting better. So for me, if I’m in the bottom six, I feel like that’s good for my development," Cowan said. "So it’s just good to really learn how to play a bottom-six role at a young age, and then you’re able to play wherever in the lineup."
Maple Leafs Projected Roster Takes Shape Following Waiver Move Of Four PlayersWith the NHL’s regular season salary cap compliance deadline set for 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 6, teams—including the Maple Leafs—are actively placing players who require waivers on the waiver wire. Players who require waivers are typically placed on the wire a day before so they can be moved to the minors before the deadline if they go unclaimed.
Cowan has admitted that playing on opening night is on the back of his mind — and why wouldn't it be? Any player in his position would want to reach for that goal. It means even more for Cowan because he grew up a Maple Leafs fan.
"I mean, you dream of it ever since you’re a kid. To still be here, I’m very grateful for that, and not going to take any day for granted," Cowan said.
What's different about Cowan's game this year versus last year's training camp is his all-around game. Berube often mentioned last fall that Cowan needed to eliminate the junior habits from his game if he wanted to make the jump to the NHL.
Nick Robertson Faces ‘Groundhog Day’ Feeling Ahead of Maple Leafs’ Final Preseason GameNick Robertson heads into the Toronto Maple Leafs’ final pre-season game in an uncertain, but familiar spot. The forward joins a mostly AHL lineup that will head southwest to take on the Detroit Red Wings in the final pre-season game of 2025.
The young forward believes his 200-foot game has grown exponentially.
"I’ve never felt that good as an all-around player, so it definitely feels good that way," he said. "But just going to keep attacking each and every day, and keep getting better at little parts of the game."
And when it comes to skating out onto the ice at Scotiabank Arena during player introductions, being in the opening night lineup?
"I’m just going to keep the pedal down," Cowan said. "But you just got to stay at it each and every day. I felt like I had another good practice today, so just keep stacking good days on good days like I’ve been saying, and good things will work out."
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