Maple Leafs Make Roster Move Ahead of Home Opener Involving Easton Cowan

On Tuesday, Leafs GM Brad Treliving made some cryptic comments about Easton Cowan's status with the Leafs after the 20-year-old was surprisingly left off of the initial opening night roster.

As it turns out, leaving Cowan off of the initial roster the Leafs submitted to the NHL was for salary cap reasons thanks to injuries to Scott Laughton and Marshall Rifai, as well as Joseph Woll's personal leave of absence.

The move allowed the Leafs to get as close to the salary cap as possible to maximize their LTIR use.

Cowan did skate on Tuesday morning, but it was not with the main roster while he waited for the Leafs to finalize the paper transaction.

Ahead of their home opener on Wednesday, the Leafs recalled the former Memorial Cup MVP and assigned Jacob Quillan to the Toronto Marlies.

Whether Cowan draws into the opening night lineup remains to be seen, but will be known shortly with the Leafs set to take the ice for their morning skate.

If he does find his way into the lineup on Wednesday night, it should come as no surprise, as head coach Craig Berube stated on TSN's 'OverDrive' on Tuesday that he can play in the NHL now.

Cowan had an impressive training camp and seemingly found a home on the fourth line. It may not be the top-six role he played during his time with the London Knights, but he is on record as saying that he wasn't expecting any handouts and will work his way into the top-six.