Even though it was thought Cowan would make things difficult for the Maple Leafs in training camp, hiccups like his are pretty common, even for super-talented young players.
Nick Suzuki and Easton CowanAfter everything Easton Cowan accomplished last season, both in his first training camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs and in the OHL, a lot of people expected him to seriously push for a spot on the Leafs' opening night roster in 2024-25.
He didn't, and the organization sent him back to the London Knights before opening the NHL season Wednesday night in Montreal.
In fact, his second camp with the organization was, well, underwhelming. He not only was not expected to not make the team, Cowan didn't even make the decision a particularly difficult one.
That's a bit of a red flag but not a huge one. This often happens with young players. In fact, it would not be a surprise to see Cowan needing some time in the AHL next season once he's old enough to play in that league. He's not this season, and that's unfortunate, particularly with coach Craig Berube saying Cowan had to work on his "junior habits."
He can still win a Memorial Cup with the Knights, and more importantly, he can assert himself as a dominant player at the World Junior Championship, something he didn't do last season.
There's still a lot of time. Cowan needs work, and it will be interesting to see what he's willing to do in the next 12 months.
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