Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t think there’s any chance at all that the Toronto Maple Leafs would part with Easton Cowan anytime soon. The thought is, for all practical purposes, the stuff of fantasy hockey. But fantasy or not, the conversation itself tells us a lot about how fans, analysts, and even rival teams think about the Maple Leafs’ future.
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Understanding the logic behind these hypothetical trades can be more revealing than the trades themselves. In this post, I’ll take a hard look at the Cowan trade rumours to try to unpack their logic. What even makes people think the idea is plausible?
Why Maple Leafs Fans and Writers Bring Up Cowan
Cowan has quietly emerged as one of the Maple Leafs’ most promising young players. In recent games, including what might have been his best NHL outing against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, he logged over 20 minutes of ice time and notched a critical game-tying assist. He’s not a finished product, but he’s learning and growing on the ice.
That said, fans see a player finding his stride, gaining confidence, and adapting to the professional pace — a 20-year-old who could develop into a top-six contributor. They also see a ball of energy and the drive that won’t quit. It makes him a bit of a unicorn.
So why has his name come up in trade chatter? At least one analyst has floated the notion that Toronto might “dangle” Cowan for one of two blue-chip prospects – Sam Rinzel or Artyom Levshunov from the Chicago Blackhawks. On paper, it’s the kind of move that makes imaginations run wild. While I don’t believe it will ever happen, it might be worth considering a young talent packaged for a player with high ceiling potential.
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It’s a rumour, and probably not one with much merit. But the idea here is not rumour-mongering — it’s about how NHL insiders evaluate organizational logic. So, allow me to lay it out.
Who Is the Blackhawks’ Sam Rinzel?
Who is Sam Rinzel? If you’re wondering where this name came from, here’s the twist: the Maple Leafs actually traded away the pick the Blackhawks used to draft him. They packed it in with Petr Mrazek to clear cap space. At the time, it felt like housekeeping; now it feels like one of those “hockey gods have a sense of humour” moments.
Rinzel’s a 6-foot-4 right-shot defender who skates like a winger, and his numbers show a player who keeps adding layers to his game. He went from providing steady offence in the United States Hockey League (USHL) to becoming a puck-moving engine at the University of Minnesota—28 points as a freshman, then 32 as a sophomore with a surprising jump in goals. If you’re wondering, he didn’t play there with Matthew Knies. Knies played for the University of Minnesota in 2021–22 and 2022–23, then signed with the Maple Leafs after the 2023 Frozen Four. Rinzel didn’t arrive until 2023–24, the season after Knies left.
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Rinzel isn’t a bruiser, but he reads the ice well, he transitions cleanly, and he rarely forces plays. Maple Leafs fans should see him as the kind of modern right-shot defender the team has been trying to find for years. The irony is that they once held the ticket that drafted him into the NHL.
Who is the Blackhawks’ Artyom Levshunov?
Artyom Levshunov is another young blueliner who looks like he was built in a modern NHL lab: big frame, right shot, skates well, and thinks the game at a pace most 20-year-olds can’t touch. Chicago took him second overall in 2024 for a reason. He tore through the USHL (putting up 42 points), then jumped to Michigan State and became a minute-eater with 35 points as a freshman, all while playing heavy, competitive hockey.
His first pro season (2024-25) was split between Chicago and the American Hockey League (AHL) Rockford IceHogs. He wasn’t splashy and put up zero goals in his first 39 NHL games—but the puck still moved north when he was on the ice, and he showed those little flashes teams bet on when they draft a defenseman that high. He’s strong, composed, and already handles tough minutes without looking rattled. The Blackhawks consider him a future cornerstone, and even if his offence takes time to bloom, the foundation is already there.
The Skeleton That Makes Up the Bones of This Trade Idea
First, there’s asset maximization. Toronto doesn’t have an overabundance of elite prospects. Cowan, as a first-round pick, carries real value. But, so does a player like Rinzel, a first-rounder who might fit a different positional need.
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Second, there’s team direction and windows of opportunity. Some analysts believe the Maple Leafs are under pressure to shake up their roster if things don’t improve. Trading a high-potential rookie for an established prospect could, theoretically, accelerate that window of opportunity.
Third, there’s the sense that Cowan is perceived as “replaceable.” The logic assumes that, despite Cowan’s promise, the Maple Leafs could identify someone who might provide more immediate impact or fill a hole that cannot be addressed by internal development alone.
Why A Cowan Trade Won’t Happen
But here’s where reality intervenes. Cowan is already showing that he can handle NHL minutes and contribute meaningfully. He’s acclimating, learning, and improving. He’s doing exactly what the Maple Leafs need from a young player. Unless management receives a genuinely can’t-refuse trade offer (and it would have to be the kind of blue-chip piece that could reshape their future), there’s no incentive to part with him.
Other factors would also block a Cowan trade. First, the Maple Leafs are interested in preserving their core. Toronto has made it clear that Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Matthew Knies are untouchable. Cowan is edging toward that “untouchable” threshold as he proves himself.
Second, the Maple Leafs have engaged in spotty long-term development and know they need to improve. Moving Cowan risks setting back the organization’s growth, something they can’t afford, given their thin prospect pool.
Third, the organization knows its philosophy must change if they want success. If anything, the fact that the team is sitting last in the Atlantic Division shows how quickly NHL fortunes can change. The team needs to build around young talent, not moving it prematurely. Cowan fits that philosophy perfectly.
The Real Logic of the Cowan Trade Rumours
Here’s the bottom line. The trade rumours aren’t about Cowan at all. It’s about how fans see the Maple Leafs’ urgency, their developmental strategy, and the pressure on management to find quick solutions. What fans are reading in these, what I call sugar-plum trades (as in the poem The Night Before Christmas), is a thermometer of organizational anxiety, not a revelation that there are actual trades to be made.
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By turning over the rock of these kinds of “impossible trades,” we get a window into their underlying logic. First, what the team values; second, what analysts think the Maple Leafs could gain; and third, what fans worry about. Cowan becomes a touchstone for discussing potential, risk, and decision-making in a high-stakes environment.
The Bottom Line for Trading Easton Cowan
Cowan isn’t going anywhere. But the fact that his name even appears in trade discussions tells us something important about how hockey insiders and fans view the Maple Leafs this season. Given the tone around them and the team’s ongoing lack of traction in the won-loss column, these rumours start because fans and writers are scrutinizing every piece, imagining every possible move, and looking for ways to balance the present and the future.
In other words, the trade talk is more revealing than the trade itself. And that, more than anything, is the logic we should take away. There’s more than a touch of panic in Leafs Nation.
