Cowan flying with Leafs after Calder Cup run

TORONTO – Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe were riding stationary bikes late Wednesday night.

The conversation between the Maple Leafs defencemen pivoted to a player both have watched grow in the NHL.

Easton Cowan has undoubtedly arrived.

The 21-year-old winger helped set up his team’s opening goal and then bagged the eventual game-winner to help Toronto pick up its first victory of the season, 2-1 over the New York Islanders.

“I don’t know what it is, but you could tell at the end of last year he was growing his game a lot,” Rielly said. “He was displaying a lot of poise and really making plays and holding on to the puck.

“He’s been outstanding. Right from the start of camp, he’s taken his game to that next level. You’re happy when a guy like that gets rewarded with a good start.”

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Cowan also had an assist in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens after helping the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies hoist the Calder Cup in June.

The product of Mount Brydges, Ont., said that experience was crucial to his start to the NHL schedule.

“Any time you’re playing pro in the playoffs helps a lot,” said Cowan, who had eight goals and 10 assists across 22 AHL post-season games. “A lot of confidence heading into this year.”

Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who made 26 saves to get the win against New York after an injury-filled 2025-26 campaign that ended with his team missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, has seen a noticeable difference in Cowan.

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“Night and day,” Stolarz said. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence, and the defensive aspect of his game has improved as well. He’s getting some (penalty killing) time out there. That’s just maturity and growing as a player.

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“The best thing for him was going down to the (AHL) and getting a taste of that playoff action and being able to play his game and dominate. He carried that confidence into the summer. He’s playing a huge role on this team so far.”

The six-foot, 189-pound Cowan has also impressed first-year Toronto head coach Jim Hiller.

“I just like his trajectory and how mentally he really wants it,” Hiller said. “It’s easy to say, then there’s all these things that you have to do. When I see him getting to the rink early and stretching and eating and then going into the gym, that tells me he’s on the right path.”

The 28th pick at the 2023 draft has found an early home on the Maple Leafs’ third line alongside newcomers Nick Paul and Colton Sissons, who both arrived as part of a summer roster reconstruction.

Cowan picked up a secondary assist on the game’s first goal Wednesday when Sissons redirected Paul’s pass before jamming home a rebound after Rielly knocked down a clearing attempt on a Toronto man advantage.

“Sky’s the limit with that kid,” Sissons said. “He’s got all the potential in the world.”

Cowan, meanwhile, is liking the vibe around Toronto’s locker room coming off an NHL season to forget.

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“Some young juice and some veterans, it goes a long way,” he said. “We just want to keep it going.”

NEW COLOURS

Ottawa Senators legend Daniel Alfredsson joined Hiller’s staff in the summer as an associate after three seasons in the nation’s capital as an assistant.

Paul wasn’t sure what the reaction would be when Alfredsson — one of the key characters from the Battle of Ontario in the early 2000s — was introduced inside Scotiabank Arena ahead of the Tuesday’s game.

“I didn’t know if it was going to be boos or cheers,” Paul, a Mississauga, Ont., native, joked Wednesday morning. “With players like that, they see the ice different and see plays different. Being able to go to him and pick his brain and ask him about clips and what his thoughts are on different situations is huge. He’s a great coach, he’s a great person, and he’s got everyone’s back.

“It’s great having him on this side.”

MCKENNA WATCH

No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna was held off the scoresheet for the second straight night, but had a couple of good looks and could have registered his first NHL point on a William Nylander chance in the third period.

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“I thought he was better,” Hiller said of the 18-year-old winger. “We talked about taking a step (and) he has to each time.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2026.