Leafs Need Cowan and Minten Beyond 24-25 Season

The Leafs have a handful of promising prospects trying to prove their worth at rookie and training camp over the next few weeks. Despite the potential and talent of multiple players, no names have more focus on them than Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten.

Last year, Cowan made it to the final cuts of training camp, while Minten started the season with the Leafs before being sent down to the WHL after four games. While their presence on the big club could be beneficial, their production beyond the 24-25 season is crucial for the Leafs in this cruel and strict salary cap world.

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Leafs are the Next Logical Step for Cowan

When the Leafs drafted Easton Cowan 28^th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, a lot of media types didn’t fully understand the pick. Sure, there was potential, but he wasn’t overly big and wasn’t blowing away the OHL competition. However, three months after the draft, was the start of a campaign where he would score 34 goals and 96 points in just 54 games, adding another 34 points in the playoffs, helping his London Knights win the OHL championship.

Before the start of that season, he advanced to the final cuts of the Leafs’ training camp, foreshadowing what the next six months would bring. This year, his intentions are clear. ‘Cowan wants to make the Leafs’, said Toronto’s AHL coach John Gruden. ‘He’s a competitor – he’s just got to work on things away from the puck. We know what he can do with it.’

Leafs’ GM Brad Treliving weighed in on what he has seen from the young winger. ‘He’s had a great summer – but he’s a young player too. You want to make sure you’re putting him in a position to succeed and not rushing the process.”

For Cowan, there’s a position available, he just has to prove he’s ready to take it. The left side of the ice is the weakest position on the Leafs’ roster. McMann had a breakout season last year, but he has to prove it wasn’t a flash in the pan. Robertson, who just signed a one-year deal, seems to have the inside track, but he was in and out of the lineup all 23-24. If he doesn’t stay in the NHL, Cowan will go back to London for another season in the OHL. Since there’s nothing left to prove at that level, he will be doing everything he can to wear the blue and white.

Minten Will be in Toronto, One Way or Another

Fraser Minten will be in Toronto for the 24-25 season. The only question is which side of the downtown core will be in? The NHL side or the AHL side? After four seasons in the WHL, it is clear that the 20-year-old is ready for the next step, but will take the two steps necessary to get to the NHL? Minten had 77 goals and 188 points in 187 games split between the Kamloops Blazers and the Saskatoon Blades.

The path for Minten isn’t as clear as it is for Cowan. Matthews, Tavares, and Kampf have three of the four center positions locked up, while Holmberg and Dewar were in and out of that fourth line last year. While his spot isn’t guaranteed, he’s aware of the battle he’s in. ‘You’re aware that the Leafs have super high-end offense up front – it’s probably going to be the lower roles in the lineup.

‘It’s been a goal for a long time, you want to play pro hockey,’ Minten added. ‘Getting the opportunity to do that one way or another is going to be awesome.’

Toronto’s Cup Window Relies on Their Young Talent

Every league talks about parody, but no league has more parody than the NHL, and that is 100% because of the hard salary cap system. After signing Robertson and Hakanpaa last week, and inviting Pacioretty to a PTO, the Leafs are $1,069,667 above the $88 million cap. They are allowed to be 10% over during camp, but this will have to be fixed before the season starts. However, this is more about the future than it is about 24-25.

Cowan and Minten, combined, make $1.72 million for the next three seasons. As of right now, with Marner and Tavares’ current contracts expiring in June, the Leafs have $26.28 million in space for 25-26 and $36.58 in 26-27. Now, they will sign new players, and the cap is expected to go up yearly, so these numbers will change. The point is, in this cap era, Toronto must find value in these cheap contracts.

For years now, Matthews, Nylander, Marner, and Tavares have gotten every penny they wanted, which has put the Leafs in a tough spot. Now that some of that money is clearing up and they have the money to surround their stars with more depth, these young players have a chance to give Toronto the breathing room they need to succeed.

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Article originally written by Marc Sautter