Toronto Maple Leafs send Easton Cowan back to London Knights

London Knight Easton Cowan, as seen in London, Ont. on March 5, 2024, during a 29-game point streak. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

The London Knights have just become instant favourites for another Ontario Hockey League (OHL) championship.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have loaned reigning OHL Most Valuable Player Easton Cowan to the Knights for his final year of junior hockey.

Cowan was Toronto’s first round pick in 2023 and dominated the OHL last season, scoring 34 goals and 96 points in just 54 games.

He was also the league’s Playoff MVP, leading the Knights to the J Ross Robertson Cup and the Memorial Cup Final.

“You want to do what’s right for the long term,” Maple Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving said Friday on The FAN Hockey Show. “We think Easton is going to be a major part of this team moving forward. Now is that now, is that starting a year from now, we’ll see. We’ve got a few days to play this out but we’re going to do ultimately what’s really important for Easton.”

The decision to return him was announced Monday afternoon.

Cowan played in five NHL preseason games with Toronto and picked up a pair of assists.

Cowan joins a Knights team which just got Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey back from Philadelphia, Sam O’Reilly returned from Edmonton, and Sam Dickinson was sent back by San Jose.

London has started the season 1-3, but once all of these players are back in the lineup, they’ll be the odds-on favourites to win the title again.

CTV News will speak with Cowan Tuesday morning at practice in London.