Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan has followed Mitch Marner's junior footsteps, winning a Memorial Cup with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, but he hasn't been in contact with the player yet since Marner joined the Vegas Golden Knights after nine seasons with the Leafs.
Cowan looked to a player like Marner as a mentor, but also understands that it's a business. As one player leaves, it creates an opening.
"He meant a lot to me. You know, happy for him," Cowan said after the first day of the 2025 Maple Leafs Development Camp in Etobicoke. "Opportunities open up for other players. But yeah, super happy for him."
Marner was one of several players who sent Cowan congratulatory texts when his team won the 2025 Memorial Cup. In many ways, the return to the Junior level and winning the championship provided validation to a player who seemed ready for professional-level hockey.
Cowan took home Memorial Cup tournament MVP honours, the same trophy Marner won with the Knights in 2016. Selected 28th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, Cowan has been a bit of a late bloomer, but now looks like he could be a top-six forward in the NHL one day. It may not happen this season, but as long as the Leafs don't dangle him in a trade as they look to fill the spot that Marner vacates, it will be interesting to see if the player gets in some NHL action this season.
Marner has actively engaged with Cowan, demonstrating genuine interest in his progress. Following Cowan's return to the OHL after being a final cut from the Maple Leafs' training camp last year, Marner encouraged him to "Just go and have fun. Do your thing. Be the leader that you can be and keep trying to achieve great things in London."
Marner also emphasized the opportunity to "get better and learn more things" under the London Knights' coaching staff, specifically mentioning the Hunters. Cowan himself has noted Marner's advice to "never take anything for granted".
But with Marner gone, the Leafs have an opening for a top-six winger. Cowan, if he excels at camp could demonstrate the ability to help fill the void. On the flipside, the Leafs, who had already traded other young prospects like Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin, could use Cowan as bait for a trade.
Either way, Cowan doesn't seem fazed.
"That's on them, that's what they do," Cowan said. "For me, it's playing hockey, and you work focusing on what I can do, and that's you know I to get better to make the NHL, and that's my mindset this summer."
(Photo credit Toronto Maple Leafs on YouTube)
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