3 Reasons Easton Cowan Could Be Ready for a Breakout Season

Something caught my attention on the first day of the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp, and it wasn't Gavin McKenna. It was Easton Cowan. New head coach Jim Hiller was asked which player stood out to him after the first practice. Out of all the new faces and all the players fighting for jobs, Hiller picked Cowan.

That's interesting. Maybe it's just one training-camp practice. It probably is. But there are three reasons to think this could be a pretty important season for Cowan.

Reason One: Hiller already seems to know what he wants from him.

Hiller didn't simply say Cowan was fast or skilled. He called him a “puck hound” and said that's where Cowan can help Toronto most. That's a pretty good description of the player Cowan could become. He already has skill. He already has some offensive instincts. What could take his game to another level is learning how to use that skill while being a pain in the neck to play against.

And Hiller appears to understand that. The coach isn't asking Cowan to become somebody else. He's asking him to combine the things he already does well.

Reason Two: His linemates could help him grow.

Cowan started camp with Nick Paul and Colton Sissons. At first glance, you might look at that and say, “Well, that's the third line.” Hiller doesn't see it that way. He said that line can play against other teams' best players while also contributing offensively. That's a pretty interesting assignment for Cowan.

Paul and Sissons can do a lot of the heavy lifting. They can win battles, play responsibly and give Cowan some room to use his feet and his hands. Hiller even suggested that Cowan could be the “straw that stirs the drink” offensively. That's quite a bit of responsibility.

Reason Three: Cowan might finally be ready to believe he belongs.

This may be the biggest thing. Cowan already had a promising NHL season, then went through a Calder Cup playoff run where his confidence seemed to grow. Now he's walking into camp with experience behind him and a new coach telling him that he can be more than a checker. That's a different starting point.

Nobody knows yet whether Cowan will have a breakout season. Training-camp praise doesn't guarantee anything, and the regular season has a funny way of humbling young players. But Hiller's message is encouraging. Toronto doesn't appear to be asking Cowan to play safe.

It appears to be asking him to chase the puck, win it back and then use his skill. For a young player trying to take the next step, that's a pretty good invitation. And maybe this is the year Cowan starts answering it.