The Maple Leafs May Have a New Problem to Solve

I don't think anyone had Easton Cowan near the top of the Toronto Maple Leafs' list of questions heading into this season. We knew about Auston Matthews. We knew about William Nylander and John Tavares. The Maple Leafs have now added Kirill Marchenko and drafted Gavin McKenna. Plenty of questions surrounded the new defence, the goaltending, and what this new version of the team would look like.

But Cowan? The question was probably more basic. Where do you put him?

The question about Cowan is becoming pretty interesting.

Through three games, Cowan has looked like one of the Maple Leafs' most creative forwards. He scored a power-play goal and added an even-strength assist in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Islanders, and he has three points in the first three games.

Now, I know better than to turn three games into a career forecast. We hockey people are wonderfully talented at doing that.

But there's something else here that interests me. Cowan may be giving the Maple Leafs something they didn't necessarily know they had: another player who can create offence.

Last season, Cowan scored 11 goals and 29 points in 66 games as a rookie. Those aren't numbers that scream "future star." But perhaps that's the wrong way to look at him.

Sometimes development isn't about suddenly becoming a 30-goal scorer. Sometimes it's about becoming the player your teammates trust to make something happen when the game gets a little stuck.

What I've noticed about Cowan is that he can play anywhere.

The Maple Leafs suddenly have a pretty interesting group of offensive forwards. Matthews. Nylander. Tavares. Marchenko. McKenna when he arrives. And now perhaps Cowan.

Six players who could create something.

That's a different kind of roster construction.

It doesn't mean all six will become stars. It doesn't mean Matthews and Tavares won't have to play better than they did at the start of the season. And it certainly doesn't mean Cowan has suddenly arrived at the end of his development.

But it does mean the Maple Leafs may have more offensive possibilities than we thought.

Maybe the better question isn't where to put Easton Cowan. Maybe it's what happens if the Maple Leafs discover they have to make room for him.

The point is, he could be one of the Maple Leafs' most flexible forwards. Now the question is: where is the best place to use him?