Ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs are positioned as clear sellers for the first time in a decade. Toronto is eight points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference prior to Monday’s games, and the rest of the year is looking bleak. While the Maple Leafs will be auditioning players in the lead-up to the deadline, trying to find a market for several players that don’t fit the amended timeline, the team needs to prioritize its under-25 pillars. Matthew Knies is already a core member of the team, so this effectively begins with Easton Cowan being re-inserted into the lineup.

Knies, Cowan and Nick Robertson are the Maple Leafs’ lone under-25 skaters on the team. Robertson’s contract expires at the end of the year and while he’s been among the team’s best players in January, he’s also considered an attractive trade candidate. Knies is an essential part of the team’s core, and given that he’s the effective bridge between the team’s failed ‘win-now’ timeline, and an uncertain future, he’s not going anywhere unless it’s part of a franchise-altering trade for a larger star.

Cowan has been one of the Leafs’ most consistent forwards, but his form has waned in January, which isn’t necessarily all too different from the remainder of the team, save for Auston Matthews. There’s no reason why he should be benched in favour of Calle Jarnkrok, with nothing to play for but pride.

“To me, he’s lost a little bit of his swagger and that’s a big part of his game,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said prior to Saturday’s shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks, explaining why he benched Cowan. “Maybe he’s worried about making mistakes. Just little things like that getting in the way of him being successful. When a team is not at its best, it’s going to affect those guys a bit more.”

We’re not necessarily arguing against Berube’s point here, only to counter that Cowan still remains as one of the Leafs’ 12-best forwards. Cowan made a critical mistake in an overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, where he was picked off by Moritz Seider during an attempt to shield the puck, and it was punished for the game-winning goal. He hasn’t scored since January 12 against the Colorado Avalanche, and you could argue that January was the worst month of what’s been a solid rookie season to date.

And yet it’s difficult to isolate Cowan as the problem in the lineup, as the Maple Leafs sport a plus-six goal differential when he’s on the ice at 5-on-5, along with a 49 percent share of the expected goals, which aligns with their team share overall. Throw out the stat sheet, and he’s constantly engaged, he was forming real chemistry with Nicolas Roy and Nick Robertson, and the Maple Leafs need to pivot towards the future.

It’s been a challenging season for all parties involved, but Cowan has been one of the few bright spots. We’re not trying to be outright dismissive, but there’s no way that Jarnkrok should be receiving minutes at this juncture of the season over Cowan, or Jacob Quillan, who was sent back to the Toronto Marlies over the weekend. He’s certainly more impactful at 5-on-5 than Steven Lorentz, and while Berube has been partial to Max Domi all season, it may even be worth placing Cowan back on the first line with a reinvigorated Auston Matthews.

As the Maple Leafs now chart their pathway towards an uncertain future, it’s time to start prioritizing the future pillars. This certainly includes getting Cowan back into the lineup ahead of the Olympic break, while pro scouts across the league circle the Leafs’ roster for potential deadline adds.