Despite Easton Cowan being on the ice for the Toronto Maple Leafs' optional morning skate on Wednesday morning, he will not be in the lineup for the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens.
Cowan stayed out late with Toronto's other projected healthy scratches, Sammy Blais and Philippe Myers. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube confirmed that Cowan won't play following Toronto's skate inside Scotiabank Arena.
"He won't be playing tonight. But he's up here with us. We're happy about that. He's here. Like I talked before about Easton, we don't want him sitting out. We want him playing. But we chose tonight that he will not play."
For three-quarters of Maple Leafs training camp, it looked like Cowan had an opening night lineup spot locked up. Cowan impressed Berube so much that he spent a good chunk of camp alongside Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton on the fourth line.
However, after Laughton suffered a lower-body injury in the second-last pre-season game, Toronto's lineup shifted, with Cowan becoming an extra forward. Max Domi shifted to the third-line center spot, with Nick Robertson on his wing, and Nicolas Roy was moved to the middle of the fourth line alongside Lorentz and Calle Jarnkrok.
"I think if you look at him during training camp, the effort and the ability to score a goal when we need it," Berube mentioned of why Robertson made the team out of camp. "He scored goals throughout camp. There's his work ethic, tenacity. He's just a noticeable player. You know, he came in and worked extremely hard and played well. Deserved to be on the team."
‘You Always Try To Find A Happy Medium’: Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews Shares Contract Philosophy Following Connor McDavid's Extension With OilersConnor McDavid shocked the NHL by signing a two-year extension with the Edmonton Oilers for what is universally perceived to be a massive discount in pay. The star forward signed for an average of $12.5 million per year, the same average annual value as the eight-year contract he is finishing at the end of the 2025-26 season.
The projected bottom six forward group appears to be as follows:
Joshua - Domi - Robertson
Lorentz - Roy - Jarnkrok
"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," Cowan said on Monday after practice.
"My game felt really good (at) 200 feet. I’ve never felt that good as an all-around player, so it definitely feels good that way. But just going to keep attacking each and every day, and keep getting better at little parts of the game."
Both Berube and Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving agree that Cowan needs to play. If he's going to remain with the NHL roster, at some point he's going to make his NHL debut with the club. It's really a matter of when, and not if.
"Easton has had a really good camp. I think he's right there ready to play for us. We want to manage it appropriately," Treliving said. "If he's going to be playing with us here, great. But if he's not, I want him playing, right? So we'll manage it here the next little bit."
Latest stories:
Maple Leafs Set For Regular Season Opener Against Canadiens, Lineups, And Where To Watch