Concerns Arise as Leafs' Top Prospect Easton Cowan Held Out of Rookie Showcase Game

After the Toronto Maple Leafs were downed by the Ottawa Senators during their first game of the Rookie Showcase, they were right back at it to face off against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

While a rotation of players was expected due to the nature of this mini tournament, the Maple Leafs decided to hold out top prospect Easton Cowan from today's festivities, which raised a few eyebrows.

The former first round pick appeared in yesterday's game against Ottawa alongside fellow top prospects like Ben Danford and Miroslav Holinka, and was a standout. Danford and Holinka are both in the lineup today, which could be a cause for concern moving forward for Cowan.

As of right now, the Leafs haven't mentioned anything about a possible injury for Cowan but his status is worth monitoring with training camp right around the corner.

The 20-year-old has missed a few games here and there over the last 2 years as he's appeared in 100 out of 136 games for the London Knights. Nevertheless, his impact when on the ice has been off the charts, considering the Knights won back to back OHL championships as well as the Memorial Cup.

As Nick Barden of The Hockey News mentions, Toronto made 5 lineup changes as they've gone with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen for today's game against Montreal, which should lead to some interesting combinations throughout.

Some of those include Danford skating alongside John Prokop after playing with Noah Chadwick yesterday, as well Vyacheslav Peksa earning the start over Artur Akhtyamov.