Easton Cowan trade talk grows as Maple Leafs weigh offseason moves
easton cowan is back in the trade conversation, with a report suggesting the Toronto Maple Leafs could consider moving the 21-year-old winger this offseason. He is on a three-year, $2.67 million entry-level contract, which makes him one of the more movable young assets on a roster headed for change.
Cowan’s 66-game rookie line
Cowan’s NHL season gave Toronto real production to weigh against that contract value. He scored 29 points in 66 games, with 11 goals and 18 assists, and finished 11th on the Maple Leafs in points.
That output came after he posted 34 goals and 62 assists with the London Knights in the 2023-24 OHL season. The jump from junior scoring to a steady rookie year in the NHL gives the Leafs a player who has already shown he can fill a depth role, even before he reaches the point where a new deal would reshape his cost.
Toronto’s offseason pivot
The timing is what makes Cowan a real trade candidate. Toronto finished with 78 points and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season, then hired John Chayka as general manager and Mats Sundin as senior executive advisor of hockey operations.
With that kind of turnover, the Leafs are trying to set the next phase quickly. The roster also appears headed toward a summer in which the biggest names are not the obvious trade chips, leaving younger pieces such as Cowan more relevant if Toronto wants to land a sizeable deal.
Why Cowan enters the picture
Rory Boylen wrote that Toronto may have to look at moving the youngster if it wants to make a deal that puts next season more into focus. He also said the Leafs could be active as Chayka and Co. look to put their stamp on the team, calling Cowan an intriguing asset to use.
That is the friction point for Toronto. Cowan is 21, cheap on his entry-level contract, and already productive enough to have value in the lineup, but those same traits make him useful in trade talks if the front office decides the return helps more than keeping him in the organization.
For now, the story is less about a completed move than about where Toronto is headed. A team that just missed the playoffs is entering an offseason that could reshape the roster, and Cowan has moved from prospect status into the category of asset that can be used to chase a larger piece.
