Jared Cowen's agent: 'We’ve got 6 months to get him back to being a good player'

Jared Cowen is looking ahead, not back.

Physically able to play but effectively shut down by the Toronto Maple Leafs after being acquired as part of the Dion Phaneuf trade, the defenseman will not file a grievance against the club, choosing rather to take steps towards rehabilitating both his ailing hip and his professional hockey career.

"We’re going to take the time to get Jared right," Cowen's agent, Rick Valette, told Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. "He’s not injured, but he’s not right. Any doctor would clear him to play. But there are compensation issues when your hip isn’t 100 percent, other parts of your body are affected.

"Rather than having him sit as a healthy scratch with the Leafs or the Marlies, we’re going to have him go see some people and get healthy."

The Maple Leafs plan to buy out the remaining year of a contract that carries a $2.15-million cap hit, and have allowed him to speak to other teams about his next contract, but Cowen's taking a step back, with a view to taking several steps forward.

"He’s 25 years old," Vallette said. "We’ve got six months to get him back to being a good player. That’s our game plan for now."

Cowen, drafted ninth overall by Ottawa in 2009, appeared in only 37 games for the Senators this season prior to the trade, recording four assists in almost 17 minutes of ice time a night.