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'Phenomenal': Knies, Matthews Rave About Leafs Rookie Easton Cowan After Impressive NHL Debut
Photo credit: Gerry Angus | Imagn Images
Easton Cowan made an immediate impact on the Leafs' top line in his NHL debut, earning rave reviews from linemates Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.
Craig Berube shocked everyone during Sunday's practice, when he promoted 20-year-old Easton Cowan to the Leafs' top line to skate alongside Matthews and Knies before he had ever played an NHL game.
"He's a guy that gets down low in the offensive zone," explained the Leafs' bench boss after practice as the reason behind Cowan's promotion.
The 2023 first-round pick made his NHL debut for the Leafs on Monday afternoon in a rematch against the Detroit Red Wings, that began with a helmet-less rookie lap.
Cowan's impact was noticed almost immediately as the Leafs' top line out-chanced the Red Wings at 5-on-5 by a margin of 16-5 and outshot them 10-0 in just over 10 minutes of ice-time (according to naturalstatrick.com).
Easton Cowan Earns High Praise from Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies
Cowan earned rave reviews from his linemates following his regular season debut.
"I thought he was great," Matthews said. "He just carries himself with such a good confidence in himself and in the way that he can play and compete. Easy guy to play with. He made smart plays with the puck. When plays were to be made, he made him. And when the simple play was there to just get the puck deep or whatnot, he made it."
Knies echoed his captain's comments about the Leafs' rookie, hinting that Cowan may be part of their line for the foreseeable future.
"He played phenomenal," Knies added. "He's gonna be a heck of a player. I'm excited to keep playing with him. That pass to Matty for that breakaway, that's pretty elite. And I think he did a tremendous job in every zone."
Leafs' Top Line Looking to Build on Monday's Successes
Cowan will have an immediate opportunity to build off of a successful debut as the Leafs are right back in action on Tuesday night when the Nashville Predators visit Scotiabank Arena.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 14 | 669 ANSWERS 'Phenomenal': Knies, Matthews Rave About Leafs Rookie Easton Cowan After Impressive NHL Debut How would you rate Easton Cowan's NHL debut? | ||
| Excellent | 144 | 21.5 % |
| Great | 238 | 35.6 % |
| Good | 220 | 32.9 % |
| Okay | 67 | 10 % |
| List of polls | ||
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