Toronto Maple Leafs' Craig Berube makes decision on Easton Cowan as the opening night roster comes together
The Toronto Maple Leafs have only a couple of weeks to narrow down their roster and Craig Berube has made a hard decision regarding Easton Cowan.
With the regular season opening up on October 11th, it's only a couple of weeks before we get to see Craig Berube's new and improved roster that'll take the ice in the hopes of winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in 56 years. Many questions surround who are going to be the final pieces, and newcomers like Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz should find themselves holding firm after their PTO's. But what about Easton Cowan, the Maple Leafs 2023 first round pick? A lot of hype surrounded the youngster after a huge campaign, but according to some new information: he's not going to be on the squad to start.
Per David Alter of The Hockey News, the Maple Leafs released their new practice groupings and you can clearly see the roster taking shape:
Group A looks to be the squad that Craig Berube is going to be taking into the regular season, and one notable name that appears is Marshall Rifai; the former Harvard University product who signed with Toronto in 2022. Rifai had a solid training camp and had a good defensive performance in his preseason game against Ottawa. You obviously see all of the mainstays on the roster, including potential trade pieces David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok and Ryan Reaves. This squad looks very similar to the one employed last season and includes Lorentz and Pacioretty; a clear sign Toronto wants veterans on their team; not to mention Nick Robertson and Bobby McMann, two players poised to break out this season.
Nick Robertson in particular is looking to get himself back on track after some dismal time under former Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. Craig Berube's playstyle fits Robertson to a tee, and he will definitely thrive under his new bench boss provided they actually give him the time to play. Keefe was abysmal in his time management with Robertson, who still managed 14 goals and 13 assists in less than 12 minutes of ice-time. If Robertson can gain a few extra shifts, and maybe gain some second unit powerplay time he could easily hit 20+ goals for Toronto; a huge boost to the club all around.
Strangely there is no Nikita Grebenkin who although had a solid first preseason game, ended up being fairly quiet in his second; perhaps Berube wanted him to have a bit more conditioning in the AHL and according to these numbers against Ottawa, it's easy to see why Berube would want a bit more experience out of these youngsters:
What those numbers mean is essentially the higher the number, the more goals expected from the team due to certain players' dominance. Ranking towards the bottom of the list are Grebenkin and Cowan; who while determined and clearly have the talent necessary, still need a bit of time. Group B looks to be the projected Marlies lineup, although someone like Alex Nylander could earn himself a callup if injuries or struggles occur. Both Grebenkin and Cowan are exempt from waivers and could just be sent down for conditioning and brought up if Kampf, Reaves or others were to be traded in order to open up some cap space.
Group C is the stragglers of the group with two notable exceptions. Maple Leafs free agent signing Jani Hakanpaa and forward Connor Dewar are both in the third grouping only for conditioning purposes and will find their way into the Maple Leafs lineup once they're healthy. No real notable names elsewhere on the list as these players will presumably be sent back to junior hockey in order to gain some more experience. These were definitely fringe players but certain names could make an impact in coming years.
One name that doesn't appear on the list is Fraser Minten; Toronto's first round pick in 2022. He is currently out dealing with a knee injury that sidelined him indefinitely but his place on the team shouldn't be understated. The Maple Leafs are fairly thin down the middle and names like David Kampf don't jump off the page; Minten deserves a shot once he's healthy and if he can find chemistry with some of the veterans on the Maple Leafs he could have a fantastic start to his career. He's a true center and given his smooth hands during the Prospect Showcase; he looks ready to make an impact.
Personally, I think the Maple Leafs need to have a bit of a youthful injection into their system and the likes of Reaves and Kampf don't really tickle my fancy especially at their current cap hit; but clearly Craig Berube has a plan and the fans need to put some faith in him and GM Brad Treliving. They have a gameplan, and they know how they want to enact it. They added to the right pieces in order to shore up their weaknesses and now it's up to the players to perform to the best of their ability. It won't be long though until we see Cowan, Minten, Grebenkin, and others make their name for the Maple Leafs and do their part to keep the legacy of the Maple Leafs strong.
The current roster of the Toronto Maple Leafs is shaping up to be one that seems extremely similar but also fresh in some aspects. New additions to the blue-line should get fans excited when they haven't been for years; they added veteran goal-scoring and a premier backup goaltender. This roster looks like the recipe for success, let's just hope it doesn't end up being a case of too many cooks in the kitchen.
| POLL | ||
Should Toronto have Easton Cowan on the main roster to start the season? | ||
| Yes | 69 | 31.8 % |
| No | 88 | 40.6 % |
| Call-up midway through | 58 | 26.7 % |
| Only if last place | 2 | 0.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
