Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn (left), John E. Sokolowski-Imagn (right)
Easton Cowan is no doubt an exciting prospect woh has shown glimpses of brilliance, though if the Maple Leafs aren’t careful, it could be history repeating itself.
Though he’s not blowing everyone away offensively, he’s still added a lot of excitement on the ice and fans are just waiting for him to break out and really get things started.
But fans have also seen this story before and if Toronto isn’t careful then they’ll be repeating history.
Why Toronto can’t afford to have Easton Cowan turn into Nick Robertson
Cowan’s potential seems to parallel Robertson’s a bit, as the two are offensive gifted youngsters who had/have a lot of expectations. Robertson, the younger brother of Dallas Stars phenom Jason Robertson, was supposed to be that top-six force who added tons of goals, was a pest on the ice, and made a real impact.
But through several heathy scratches, inconsistent play, and trade requests, Robertson hasn’t fully found his footing yet and while he’s still a decent player, hasn’t reached that next level.
Right now we’re seeing some of that with Cowan, as he has been scratched for the past two games and has bounced around the lineup without finding a real solid spot.
He was doing fine with Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz but Craig Berube broke that up and there’s no real idea of when Cowan is coming back in.
Cowan, 20, has 11 points in 26 games so far (4 goals, 7 assists), only four PIM, 14 blocks, 25 hits, and a plus/minus of zero in 14:45 TOI.
It’s not a bad start to his career, and he’s seen some time on the top line with Auston Matthews, however don’t forget Robertson’s first full season saw him score 27 points then drop off continually.
There’s still tons of time, but Toronto needs to be cautious
Although that’s certainly not his fault completely, you have to wonder if Cowan is going to reach the heights of his junior career or if he ends up being more of a secondary piece to a lineup.
This is the time to bite the bullet and stop being so bashful. Toronto has a potential star in Easton Cowan and needs to treat him like one. Start him every game, let him fail and succeed, take the good with the bad.
People always hoped that Easton Cowan would be the next Mitch Marner, but how can he even start to get there if he’s nowhere to be found?
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The Maple Leafs risk repeating the Nick Robertson mistake with Easton Cowan
Do you think Toronto needs to start playing Easton Cowan more?