Maple Leafs phenom Easton Cowan earns praise for cool decision

Maple Leafs phenom Easton Cowan earns praise for cool decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Easton Cowan proved he belonged at the NHL level this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he isn't content.

The young forward is now closing out his season with the AHL's Toronto Marlies after the Maple Leafs missed the NHL playoffs.

And it appears that Cowan is making the most of it, too.

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Cowan has earned some well-deserved praise for his mentality in going down to the lower level and approaching it the right way.

"He could've gone or not gone, but that he was cool with going to play in the AHL shows some humility, and being the big dog and handling the puck for a bit before summer shouldn't be a bad thing for 53," writes hockey analyst Justin Bourne in a post on X.

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Cowan will turn 21 years old in May. He's got a long hockey future ahead of him.

He was the Maple Leafs' No. 28 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

This was his first season in the NHL, and in 66 games, he had 29 points -- 11 goals and 18 assists.

Now, Cowan is helping the Marlies try to make some noise at the end of their season. It's a logical place for him to be, and if he handles things the right way, it can only help Cowan in the future.