The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to open a six-game homestand on Tuesday after a lengthy road trip that ended Saturday night with a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Ahead of the Maple Leafs matchup against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, Toronto head coach Jim Hiller made some notable line changes, including Easton Cowan moving back up to the first line, while the 2026 first overall pick Gavin McKenna slides back down to the third line.
“Well, he’s played so well,” Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller said about Cowan. “I mean, listen, he made a couple mistakes; everybody makes mistakes. A couple of plays that we didn’t like at an inopportune time. Eventually, we’ve got to make some decisions. But we’ve loved how he’s played. Loved how he’s progressed. And I’m not worried about him at all responding. And we wanted to get that line back together because it’s been so good for us.”
Maple Leafs Reward Easton Cowan With Top Line Minutes
Easton Cowan has been a major piece of the Maple Leafs’ success thus far; the London Knights product has taken a much bigger jump than many had expected following his rookie season. Through 16 games this season, Cowan has registered 14 points, including 6 goals. When the Maple Leafs drafted Cowan 28th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, many criticize the Maple Leafs decision; however, through the early stages of his career, many can see why Toronto decided to take the gamble.
“But we’ve loved how he’s played. We’ve talked about him a lot, too. We’ve loved how he’s progressed, and I’m not worried about him at all responding. We wanted to get that line back together because it’s been so good for us.” Hiller later added
Gavin McKenna slotted on the Maple Leafs top line on Saturday; however, after not seeing the ice for the final 12 minutes of the contest, the change was bound to happen. Jim Hiller had made it clear on Monday that the decision is less about McKenna’s game and more about how Cowan has progressed this season. It was also noted that McKenna had looked strong on the Maple Leafs’ third line alongside Colton Sissons and Dakota Joshua.
Cowan Excited About the Opportunity
“Yeah, it’s nice,” Cowan said of rejoining Matthews and Roslovic. “I mean, wherever you’re playing on this team, I’ve been saying there’s a lot of good hockey players. So I just got to keep playing my game and keep focusing on that.
“Two really good players, as everyone sees. So it’s fun playing with them, and I feel like we’ve got some good chemistry going on.”
There is no question that Cowan will add a great layer to the Maple Leafs’ top line, with Jack Roslovic seen as the power forward of the line; the 21-year-old will look to put his playmaking skills on display, trying to find Auston Matthews as he looks to put the puck in the back of the net.
Maple Leafs Make Major Line Change Ahead of Six-Game Homestand