Apart from the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils who had their seasons start before every other NHL team overseas in Europe, the rest of the league is finalizing their rosters, and some top-end OHL talent are either returning to their junior teams or cracked a spot on the opening night lineup.
Toronto Maple Leafs 2023 first-rounder Easton Cowan surprised everyone when he nearly made their opening night roster out of training camp last season. Alas, he returned to London and had an OHL season that he will remember forever.
Cowan was loaned back to the London Knights Monday afternoon as Toronto finalized their opening night roster.
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Cowan played at an elite level all season long with the Knights in 2023-24, recording an incredible 42-game point streak. He scored 34 goals and 96 points in 54 regular season games, taking home the honors of the Red Tilson Trophy for the league’s Most Oustanding Player.
That wasn’t enough though. He followed it up by leading the playoffs in scoring with 34 points in 18 games and was unstoppable. Cowan alongside his London teammates captured the OHL Championship and he took home the OHL Playoffs MVP Award.
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Lastly, the team went all the way to the finals of the Memorial Cup but sadly lost in the dying minutes of regulation against the Saginaw Spirit. Easton looked dominant again at the tournament, finishing first in points with eight in four games.
The Maple Leafs top prospect did it all last season except win the Memorial Cup. So what should the expectations be for him as he returns to junior in what is likely to be his final OHL season?
For starters, the London Knights should be contenders again this season, aiming for back-to-back championships. They haven’t gotten off to a good start, but the team getting Cowan, Denver Barkey (once recovered from his nagging illness), and Oliver Bonk back from NHL training camps improves this team ten-fold.
This also means that Cowan should be in for another lengthy playoff run, further infusing that competitive and winning culture into his veins.
However, how much development will Easton Cowan really receive playing and torching up the OHL for another season?
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The best thing for his development is to get used to playing against faster and stronger competition that can somewhat emulate what he will have to endure at the NHL level. The OHL does not offer that.
It will be hard to match the accolades he collected last season, but there’s no reason he shouldn’t lead the Knights in scoring this season even if he misses time playing for Canada at the 2025 World Juniors, which he should be attending.
The issue with Toronto sending him back to junior is that he’s too good for this level of hockey. Cowan is going to dominate on a nightly basis, which is great for his confidence, but doesn’t present him with many obstacles or challenges this season. I mean, maybe he can beat his own record and go on a 43-game point streak this year.
I’m sure the Maple Leafs would much rather have him play with the Marlies in the AHL and get reps in playing against bigger and stronger men. On the other end, the OHL loves that they just got their reigning regular season and playoff MVP back.
Cowan didn’t have a poor training camp by any means, he simply didn’t stand out as much as he did last year, and the Maple Leafs bringing in Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz on PTOs made it a lot harder for the young forward to push himself into a spot in Toronto’s top 12.
In summary, Easton Cowan returning to junior isn’t the best thing for his development, however, there’s not much else he and Toronto could do. The fanbase’s expectations need to be tempered because him repeating what he did last season is going to be a challenging feat.
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