It seems the priority for Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving is to get top prospect Easton Cowan meaningful reps in the pros, even if that means having him suit up in the AHL to start the year.
"He's not on the roster today and we'll see what happens tomorrow," Treliving told reporters on Tuesday. "He's right there ready to play for us. We want to manage it appropriately. If he's going to be playing with us here, great. But if not, I want him playing."
Cowan was not on the ice with the main group at Maple Leafs' practice, their final before the season opener on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens (Sportsnet, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT).
The Maple Leafs made the decision to leave the 20-year-old off the roster on Monday, opting to send the waiver-exempt Cowan to the Toronto Marlies instead.
“Does he help us right now? What’s best for him? You know, young kid, but we like him,” Berube told reporters on Monday.
The Mount Brydges, Ont., native is making his first push into the pros after spending the past four seasons in the OHL. In 46 games with the London Knights last season, Cowan potted 29 goals and 69 points to help lead the Knights to their third-ever Memorial Cup.
Treliving also told reporters he has no update on goaltender Joseph Woll, who is in the midst of a leave of absence from the team.
"No updates there," he said. "We think things are progressing well, but I can't give you a time frame right now."
Woll stepped away from the team on Sept. 23 to attend to a personal family matter.
The 27-year-old was an important piece in Toronto's crease last season, playing a career-high 42 games with a 27-14-1 record, a 2.73 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
