As of Sunday, the Toronto Maple Leafs have not made a significant roster cut to get closer to the 23-man roster limit. They'll need to trim the roster down before their regular-season opener on Oct. 8 against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Maple Leafs have two more exhibition games, both against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday and Saturday. This gives Leafs GM Brad Treliving and coach Craig Berube a bit more of a sample size to decide whether top prospect Easton Cowan will make the NHL straight out of the OHL, or start his professional career with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. 

The 20-year-old’s resume is close to being impeccable. He was named MVP of the OHL regular season and playoffs in 2024, featured in two World Junior Championships for Team Canada and was the MVP of the 2025 Memorial Cup with the London Knights to end his junior career. Additionally, Cowan led the Memorial Cup in scoring in both campaigns.

However, there is a school of thought that Cowan would benefit from easing into the focal point of the hockey universe in Toronto with the Marlies. That would avoid him being the center of attention with the Leafs in the aftermath of Knights alumni Mitch Marner leaving for the Vegas Golden Knights.  

Cowan has not seemed out of place playing with NHLers in the first three pre-season games. Last Tuesday, he set up Bobby McMann for a power-play goal in a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

In the next game on Thursday, he registered an assist and a plus-four rating on the fourth line with Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton in a 7-2 win over the Canadiens.

The young winger had played every pre-season contest until Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Habs. 

“(Easton) did a lot of good things. He was physical, he played direct, got some opportunities on net. Overall, I liked his game,” Berube told reporters after Toronto's loss to Ottawa.

“I think the conversations I had with him before camp, he is doing those things. Simplified hockey, using his speed. Obviously, he has abilities out there with making plays and things like that, which he showed me tonight. But they were the right plays at the right time, which is important. I thought that he played direct all game and he worked and hounded, back checked, did a lot of good things.”

Why Craig Berube Can't Yet Answer Whether Easton Cowan Will Make The Maple Leafs Out Of Camp <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/easton-cowan-adds-size-reveals-what-it-will-take-to-make-maple-leafs-roster-out-of-training-camp">Easton Cowan</a> is going to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs at some point this year. It’s just a matter of when.

The Leafs do not have many roster spots up for grabs in training camp. With two goaltenders and likely carrying eight defensemen to start the season, Berube will be limited to 13 forwards to start the season.

Furthermore, with the addition of center Nicolas Roy and left winger Dakota Joshua as bottom-six checkers over the summer, Toronto has to decide on two players from a group of five forwards in Cowan, Nick Robertson, David Kampf, Michael Pezzetta, and Calle Jarnkrok to play on the fourth line and as an extra forward.

The advantage Toronto has with Cowan is that he is waiver-exempt and can go down to the AHL freely, whereas the other four would have to clear waivers to be sent down to the Marlies.

Cowan logically would seem to be destined to start the season at Coca-Cola Coliseum, but not because of his performance so far. The Leafs have to determine whether playing him in a feisty bottom-six role in the NHL is more beneficial to his future than playing top-line minutes and both special teams in the minors to start the season.

Sending him down would buy Treliving more time to see if there is a trade market for Robertson, who would likely get claimed if waived - Jarnkrok, or Kampf, but if Cowan continues to impress in the remainder of the pre-season, he may force the Leafs' hand and earn at least a nine-game look to start the year. 

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