Cowan has played two games with the Marlies since his Maple Leafs season ended and has scored a goal and an assist.
Easton Cowan loves playoff hockey.
Two days after the Toronto Maple Leafs' season ended, the club sent a handful of rookies back to the Toronto Marlies for what could be a lengthy run in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Cowan was included in that group — along with Jacob Quillan, Luke Haymes, Ryan Tverberg, and William Villeneuve — despite not knowing what could occur just a few days earlier.
"I'm not exactly sure," Cowan said last Wednesday when asked if he'd be joining the Marlies. "I mean, yeah, I'd love to play more hockey. But it's not my decision. Whatever the management thinks is right, I'll agree with them."
Toronto underwent exit meetings with the team's players on Thursday, the morning after their final game of the regular season.
That's when Cowan and Maple Leafs management — likely assistant general managers Ryan Hardy and Brandon Pridham — sat down and discussed whether the young, full-time NHLer would join the Marlies for the remainder of the year.
"I think we both decided it was the right move for my development, and I went along with it, and obviously excited to play some hockey," Cowan said on Tuesday after Marlies practice, one day ahead of Game 1 of the playoffs against the Rochester Americans.
Cowan had a strong first year in the NHL, developing into a winger who'll likely play in the Maple Leafs' top-six for the foreseeable future. His 11 goals and 29 points in 66 games put him eighth in Maple Leafs scoring among forwards.
After joining the Marlies last week, the 20-year-old scored and had an assist in back-to-back games against the Laval Rocket. He also played two games with the AHL club back in November, registering one assist in that span.
Cowan is set to make his AHL playoff debut on Wednesday on Toronto's second line with Alex Nylander and Ryan Tverberg.
"You can see he's matured and he's definitely a confident young man," said Marlies head coach John Gruden, when comparing the Cowan he saw in November versus the one he has now with the team.
When speaking on Tuesday, Cowan noted that more hockey means more puck touches, which can be good for any prospect. It's not just that, though: if you're still playing at this time of year, it usually means the games are much more meaningful, too.
And Cowan knows a thing or two about meaningful hockey, winning two OHL Championships and a Memorial Cup with the London Knights over the last two years.
"I feel like that's when I play my best hockey," Cowan said.
It shouldn't be understated how big an add this is for the Marlies. They're a team filled with depth at every position, but acquiring Cowan definitely makes them an even stronger team experience-wise and play-wise.
It's not lost on his new teammates, either, that he didn't need to come and play for the Marlies. While it was a collaborative decision between him and Maple Leafs management, he still could've declined the move.
"It's a testament to his character, right? He very easily could've said no, and no one would've batted an eye," Marlies captain Logan Shaw said in a one-on-one interview on Tuesday.
"But for him to have the experience of playing a little bit longer, and hopefully we go on a run here and gain that experience. I know he's had that in junior, but it's different in the American League. We want to play as long as we can. We want to play into June, and if he can get that experience, it's only going to help his career."