TORONTO — Fans cheering so hard for the baseball team during a hockey game wasnâ€t the only aspect of the Toronto Maple Leafs†home opener that divided attention, that felt a tad split.
Easton Cowan, the clubâ€s top prospect by a farmland mile, geared up in full and participated in warmups Wednesday alongside all the pros with whom he currently shares a dressing room. Then the 20-year-old rushed to shower and suit up so he could watch from the press box.
An NHL rookie whose rookie lap has been deferred, who made the cut, but still sees a doughnut under his games-played column.
The coach has promised to play the kid, and Cowan figures he has 20 or 30 friends and family members who will rush across the border if he is tapped for Saturdayâ€s Hockey Night in Canadaseason debut.
Should Cowanâ€s time come at the expense of tinkering with a winning lineup?
Or — a debate for later — at the expense of burning a year off the wingerâ€s entry-level contract?
“Teamâ€s first. And I love Cowan. We all do. Heâ€s going to be a good Leaf, Iâ€ll tell you that,†coach Craig Berube told reporters, between Fridayâ€s practice and a flight to Detroit for Saturdayâ€s divisional tilt against the Red Wings.
“Heâ€s going to be a good hockey player, and he is a good hockey player. But the team is the most important thing, and we gotta make decisions. And they donâ€t always please everybody.â€
Winning over Berube in September and projected as Torontoâ€s fourth-line right wing through training camp, the Maple Leafs reconsidered Cowanâ€s role — and juggled three lines — when veteran fourth-line centre Scott Laughton injured his left foot in pre-season action.
Dependable utility man Calle Järnkrok snatched Cowanâ€s spot and turned in a superb performance in Game 1, scoring a goal and receiving some first-line looks beside Auston Matthews.
Canâ€t take him out now.
Nor Bobby McMann, who also scored against Montreal and was arguably Torontoâ€s most noticeable forward.
Nor Matias Maccelli, who needs more runway, not his confidence checked.
That leaves Nick Robertson — who ripped four shots but skated a team-low 10:40 in the opener — as the lone candidate to take a seat whenever Berube and GM Brad Treliving decide itâ€s time for Cowanâ€s debut.
Robertson and Cowan split shifts at Fridayâ€s practice on Max Domiâ€s third line as the Leafs contemplate whether to play Cowan at Little Caesars Arena or wait for next weekâ€s back-to-back at home.
“Heâ€s close. Heâ€s got a great attitude. He works hard. He had a good practice today,†Berube said. “Weâ€ll see what happens tomorrow.â€
Our take: Scratching Robertson so early in the season — after an impressive camp and an off-season in which he resisted expressing his frustration and a team win — could be deflating. Particularly in Michigan, where he developed his wicked shot and still trains over the summer. Maybe wait till Monday.
That the AHL season has yet to begin gives the Leafs some leeway here. Itâ€s not as if Cowan is missing out on top-six minutes with the Marlies — yet. And then there is new pickup Sammy Blais, a pure fourth-liner who already understands Berube hockey.
When youâ€re carrying 14 forwards, you canâ€t keep â€em all happy.
“Just gonna keep taking it day by day. Keep attacking it. Keep working hard. You know, have a good mindset. Be positive,†said Cowan, finding value in The Show even if heâ€s still an understudy.
“It means a lot. I mean, you dream of it ever since you’re a kid. So, to still be here, Iâ€m very grateful for that, and not gonna take any days for granted.
“As soon as I get in, I know Iâ€ll be ready.â€
Cowan is a confident kid.
He has grown more vocal and at ease around the Leafs. Heâ€ll tell you that his complete, 200-foot game has never felt better than it did at camp. And that he tucked his phone away (not a small achievement for any twentysomething) Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena so he could study the veterans.
“Itâ€s an NHL game, so thereâ€s not as many plays,†Cowan observed. “Itâ€s more just chip and chase and go get it and winning puck battles.â€
Camp may be over but make no mistake: Tryouts for Leafs forwards are ongoing. And theyâ€ll drag on for weeks.
“Not every day here is guaranteed,†Cowan realizes.
The Leafs won Game 1 despite some ill-advised puck management, slow decision-making, and sloppy breakouts.
And outside of their stars — Matthews, Matthew Knies, William Nylander, and John Tavares — no forward was given 16 minutes of work. (Meanwhile, He Who Shall Not Be Named clocked 22-plus on both halves of a back-to-back in Vegas.)
Berube was asked Thursday on Real Kyper & Bourne if he foresees any of his other options becoming depended upon for a regular top-six workload.
“I think we have guys capable of getting there. Not everybody can play that many minutes. Thereâ€s guys that have the motor to do it,†the coach responded.
“Watching Cowan from junior to now, heâ€s got a motor on him. Thatâ€s a ways away. But I do believe in time he can get there.â€
First, Cowan must get in the lineup — and itâ€ll come at the expense of someone more experienced.
“Iâ€m just gonna keep the pedal down,†said Cowan, trying to push those rookie-lap visions to the back of his mind. “Just keep stacking good days on good days.â€
Until that day heâ€ll never forget.
Maple Leafs projected lineup Saturday in Detroit:
Knies – Matthews – Maccelli
McMann – Tavares – Nylander
Joshua – Domi – Robertson
Lorentz – Roy – Järnkrok
Extras: Cowan, Blais
Rielly – Carlo
McCabe – Tanev
Benoit – Ekman-Larsson
Extra: Myers
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