TORONTO - Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe were riding stationary bikes late Wednesday night.
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Rielly → rid → bikes
The conversation between the Maple Leafs defencemen pivoted to a player both have watched grow in the NHL.
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both → pivot → NHL
Easton Cowan has undoubtedly arrived.
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Cowan → arrive → ?
The 21-year-old winger helped set up his team’s opening goal and then bagged the eventual game-winner to help Toronto pick up its first victory of the season, 2-1 over the New York Islanders.
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Toronto → help → Islanders
“I don’t know what it is, but you could tell at the end of last year he was growing his game a lot,” Rielly said.
uncertain
Rielly → know → game
“He was displaying a lot of poise and really making plays and holding on to the puck.
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He → display → puck
Right from the start of camp, he’s taken his game to that next level.
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he → take → level
You’re happy when a guy like that gets rewarded with a good start.”
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guy → ’re → start
Cowan also had an assist in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens after helping the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies hoist the Calder Cup in June.
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Marlies → have → June
The product of Mount Brydges, Ont., said that experience was crucial to his start to the NHL schedule.
“Any time you’re playing pro in the playoffs helps a lot,” said Cowan, who had eight goals and 10 assists across 22 AHL post-season games.
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who → say → games
Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who made 26 saves to get the win against New York after an injury-filled 2025-26 campaign that ended with his team missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, has seen a noticeable difference in Cowan.
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team → make → Cowan
“Night and day,” Stolarz said.
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Stolarz → say → ?
“He’s playing with a lot of confidence, and the defensive aspect of his game has improved as well.
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aspect → play → game
He’s getting some (penalty killing) time out there.
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He → get → time
That’s just maturity and growing as a player.
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That → ’ → player
“The best thing for him was going down to the (AHL) and getting a taste of that playoff action and being able to play his game and dominate.
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thing → go → game
He carried that confidence into the summer.
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He → carry → summer
He’s playing a huge role on this team so far.”
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He → play → team
The six-foot, 189-pound Cowan has also impressed first-year Toronto head coach Jim Hiller.
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Cowan → impress → Hiller
“I just like his trajectory and how mentally he really wants it,” Hiller said.
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Hiller → like → it
“It’s easy to say, then there’s all these things that you have to do.
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you → ’ → that
When I see him getting to the rink early and stretching and eating and then going into the gym, that tells me he’s on the right path.”
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he → see → path
The 28th pick at the 2023 draft has found an early home on the Maple Leafs’ third line alongside newcomers Nick Paul and Colton Sissons, who both arrived as part of a summer roster reconstruction.
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who → find → reconstruction
Cowan picked up a secondary assist on the game’s first goal Wednesday when Sissons redirected Paul’s pass before jamming home a rebound after Rielly knocked down a clearing attempt on a Toronto man advantage.
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Rielly → pick → advantage
“Sky’s the limit with that kid,” Sissons said.
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Sissons → ’ → kid
“He’s got all the potential in the world.”
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He → get → world
Cowan, meanwhile, is liking the vibe around Toronto’s locker room coming off an NHL season to forget.
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Cowan → like → season
“Some young juice and some veterans, it goes a long way,” he said.
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he → go → ?
“We just want to keep it going.”
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We → want → it
NEW COLOURS
Ottawa Senators legend Daniel Alfredsson joined Hiller’s staff in the summer as an associate after three seasons in the nation’s capital as an assistant.
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Alfredsson → join → assistant
Paul wasn’t sure what the reaction would be when Alfredsson — one of the key characters from the Battle of Ontario in the early 2000s — was introduced inside Scotiabank Arena ahead of the Tuesday’s game.
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Alfredsson → introduce → game
“I didn’t know if it was going to be boos or cheers,” Paul, a Mississauga, Ont., native, joked Wednesday morning.
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Paul → know → ?
“With players like that, they see the ice different and see plays different.
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ice → see → plays
Being able to go to him and pick his brain and ask him about clips and what his thoughts are on different situations is huge.
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are → go → situations
He’s a great coach, he’s a great person, and he’s got everyone’s back.
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he → ’ → back
“It’s great having him on this side.”
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It → ’ → side
MCKENNA WATCH
No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna was held off the scoresheet for the second straight night, but had a couple of good looks and could have registered his first NHL point on a William Nylander chance in the third period.
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McKenna → hold → period
“I thought he was better,” Hiller said of the 18-year-old winger.
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Hiller → think → winger
“We talked about taking a step (and) he has to each time.”
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he → talk → step
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
The Aporia
