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'He Does That Stuff': Craig Berube Reveals Reason Behind Easton Cowan's Surprising Promotion
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro Imagn Images
Easton Cowan received a surprising promotion at practice on Sunday, but Leafs' head coach Craig Berube explained why he is giving the 20-year-old a huge opportunity.
An abysmal second period is what cost the Leafs a victory on Saturday night according to Berube.
The sloppy play, coupled with the injury to Steven Lorentz led to the Leafs' bench boss putting his forward lines in a blender for Sunday morning's practice.
While line shuffling was expected, no one predicted it to include Easton Cowan being elevated to the top line alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.
Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
After watching the first two games of the season from the press-box, the Memorial Cup MVP will be thrown right into the thick of it for Monday's rematch against the Detroit Red Wings.
Craig Berube Explains Decision to Elevate Easton Cowan in Leafs' Lineup
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The decision to elevate him to the top line for his NHL debut was possession based, according to Berube.
"He's a guy that gets down low in the offensive zone. I'd like to get that line some more possession, some more plays. He does that stuff."
The Leafs' bottom-six has been out performing their top-six through two games and the hope is that Cowan can help change some of that with his skillset.
While expectations may be high for Cowan in his debut, everyone has to remember that he hasn't played in two weeks and it may take him a few shifts to get his legs under him.
Should things not work out and he finds himself farther down the lineup at some point in the game, it shouldn't be considered a failure either.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 12 | 584 ANSWERS 'He Does That Stuff': Craig Berube Reveals Reason Behind Easton Cowan's Surprising Promotion Will Easton Cowan register a point in his NHL debut? | ||
| Yes | 383 | 65.6 % |
| No | 201 | 34.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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