How Easton Cowan can help turn the Maple Leafs' power play around

Easton Cowan, on his own, will not provide a solution to the Maple Leafs’ power-play woes.

The gifted forward, however, can play a key role as the Leafs try to find anything approaching success when they have a man advantage.

That’s the opinion of Leafs coach Craig Berube and we would agree.

“Cowan, he’s the one guy, he makes a lot of plays … he has great vision,” Berube said on Saturday. “He can really work hash-mark-down areas and make some plays to our guys who are shooters.”

That kind of creativity on Toronto’s top unit has been missing in the wake of Mitch Marner’s departure to the Vegas Golden Knights.

It’s a lot to put on the shoulders of the 20-year-old Cowan, especially on a team that’s fighting for a playoff spot. Cowan wouldn’t be thrust into the position, though, if Berube thought it wasn’t going to work.

Of Cowan’s eight points (three goals and five assists) in the first 19 games of his National Hockey League career, none came on the power play.

Get Matthews open

What’s troubling is that Leafs captain Auston Matthews has just one power-play goal. Starting in his third NHL season in 2018-19, Matthews has scored at least 10 power-play goals a year, hitting a high of 18 in 2023-24.

Getting Matthews into a power-play spot where he could unleash his shot has to be at the top of assistant coach Marc Savard’s to-do list.

Before NHL games on Saturday, the Leafs were 28th on the power play, succeeding only at a rate of 14.7%. Their 10 power-play goals in 2025-26 were tied for the fewest in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes, though the Leafs’ 68 opportunities were fourth-fewest in the NHL (after the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets with 64 and the New York Rangers with 67).

Max Domi leads all Leafs in penalties drawn at five-on-five with eight. Cowan is one of five Leafs — a group that includes Matthew Knies, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dakota Joshua and Simon Benoit — next at six penalties drawn at five-on-five.

The Leafs were 4-for-12 on the power play in three games from Nov. 8-11. In 10 games since, they are 2-for-22 on the power play.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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