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Maple Leafs pre-game notebook: It’s time for Easton Cowan to put numbers on the board

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We’re six days away from the season opener but until then, we have two more preseason games as the Toronto Maple Leafs square off against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday evening.

First order of business before we get to the practice notes – the Leafs announced on Thursday an additional wave of cuts to their roster.

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Now that that’s out of the way, here are some things to know ahead of tonight’s tilt against Detroit.

Calle Jarnkrok returns to the lineup after recovering from a lower-body injury, Nick Robertson is all but assured a spot on the team, but this is another chance to cement his place in a scoring role. Bobby McMann should be locked into Toronto’s top nine as his pace has proven too much for preseason opponents to handle. Max Pacioretty is implicitly understood to have locked up a spot, so Easton Cowan, Nikita Grebenkin and Steven Lorentz still have lots to prove among the realistic roster hopefuls.

Here’s what you need to know entering Thursday’s game:

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It’s time for Easton Cowan to put some numbers on the board

We’ll place some qualifiers here, as we’re not in the business of making life more difficult for a 19-year-old prospect, who will be a permanent fixture on the Maple Leafs for years to come provided everything goes according to plan. It would be a tremendous accomplishment for anyone that young to make an NHL team with real Stanley Cup aspirations, let alone become a major contributor.

With these necessary qualifiers out of the way: it’s time for Easton Cowan to put some numbers on the board! Cowan’s defensive responsibility may be his ticket to the NHL, especially as he improves as a penalty killer, but he lit the OHL aflame with 34 goals and 96 points in 54 games last season, and he’ll need to display that scoring touch Thursday if he is to stay with the team in six days. Cowan has recorded one assist through four preseason games, while being given power play reps and prime minutes with Max Domi and Mitch Marner throughout the camp.

Toronto isn’t going to rush Cowan’s development for the purpose of getting under the cap, or graduating him to the NHL for the mere sake of it. He’s been given every chance to impress, several veteran players have taken Cowan under their wing, advising him to play his game and let the game slow down a bit. He’s submitted a series of mixed performances through four games and now it’s time for Cowan to make a lasting impression on Craig Berube and Brad Treliving against the Red Wings.

Cowan was seen taking reps with Nick Robertson, Max Pacioretty, David Kampf and Topi Niemela on Toronto’s first power play unit at Thursday’s practice, according to David Alter of The Hockey News. It’s been a camp full of new memories and experiences for Cowan, and you can see why he’s one of the rising prospects in the NHL landscape overall. Now it’s time for him to put numbers on the boards.

Grebenkin impresses Berube with puck skills, strength, skating and humour

Nikita Grebenkin has been viewed as the sleeper to make the opening night roster and it’s clear that he’s viewed as one of the ascending prospects within the Maple Leafs’ organization. Grebenkin will likely begin the season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies but he’s still found a way to constantly impress Berube and Treliving throughout camp and perhaps some good humour goes a long way.

Toronto headed to Bracebridge, Ontario for team-bonding exercises and a public practice in Muskoka, Ontario before heading to Detroit for Thursday’s game. Grebenkin left a lasting impression on his head coach, as camp begins to wind down. Grebenkin is one funny guy.

“He’s quite a character, this kid,” Berube said of Grebenkin via Alter. “He’s got a real bright future in this league. He’s close. He’s impressed me just with his play and he’s a good player obviously and has some ability with his puck skills and strength and skating. But he’s quite a character off the ice, pretty funny guy.”

Grebenkin showed the potential to become a fan favourite after fighting Ottawa’s Adam Gaudette during his first preseason game and his combination of size and scoring ability are intriguing elements to consider for a team that is expected to play with more physicality this season. In a similar vein to Cowan, although their player profiles are different, it’s now incumbent upon Grebenkin to put some numbers on the boards, as he’s been held without a point in three preseason contests.

Marshall Rifai’s stock continues to rise with physicality, defensive awareness

Marshall Rifai may not be on the opening night roster but his stock continues to rise with a series of impressive performances throughout training camp. Rifai won a fight against Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky and his physicality continues to stand out.

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Rifai signed a two-year, $1.5 million extension with the Maple Leafs on September 5, a reward for his continued development after the club initially pursued him out of Harvard in 2022. He played two games for the Maple Leafs last season and he may be among the first call-ups if there are injuries to Toronto’s designated top-six, which have been locked in from the initial stages of camp.

“He had some games up with us last year and he worked so hard,” Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said of Rifai on September 20, when asked which players have impressed him during the early stages. “You can just see he wants it and continues to progress, and I’ve been pretty impressed with him and the way he plays hard on both sides of the puck.”

Treliving told reporters during media day to be mindful of late bloomers, noting that Bobby McMann is now a fixture on the team and perhaps Rifai could be this year’s Simon Benoit, an unexpected late bloomer who provides stellar results against second-to-fourth line forwards. Thursday’s game may be another step towards Rifai making a permanent dent on the depth chart.

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