You’ve had your say: Our Maple Leafs poll reveals intrigue

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You’ve had your say, Leafs Nation.

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By a slim margin, if Mitch Marner is not signed before the National Hockey League trade deadline in March, you think he should be dealt.

You’re close to fully in favour of the Craig Berube hiring and of the Sheldon Keefe firing.

And you’re not quite sure that Easton Cowan is ready for a full-time role with the Maple Leafs in 2024-25.

Those were some of the interesting bits gleaned from our annual pre-season readers poll, now closed. Thanks to those who took the time to participate.

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Answers are listed in original order, with those getting the most votes in bold. Number of votes and percentage of total are listed:

1. What best describes your feelings about president Brendan Shanahan, who has overseen one playoff-round win since taking over in 2014?

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1. If the Leafs don’t make it past the first round again, he should be fired. (366, 35.29%)
2. It’s hard to believe he wasn’t held to a standard similar to Sheldon Keefe and should have been fired in May. (529, 51.01%)
3. Leave him alone. Rome wasn’t built in a day (or, apparently, a decade). (142, 13.69%)

2. When the Leafs announced Berube as the new coach, which best described your initial thoughts?

1. On board with it, good hire. (855, 85.33%)
2. GM Brad Treliving should have gone in a different direction. (147, 14.67%)

3. Do you think Keefe should have been fired?

1. Yes (833, 83.72%)
2. No (162, 16.28%)

4. With Chris Tanev signed to play a crucial role on the blue line, which of these newcomers will make the next biggest impact?

1. Anthony Stolarz (479, 47.57%)
2. Oliver Ekman-Larsson (386, 39.15%)
3. Max Pacioretty (69, 7%)
4. Jani Hakanpaa (62, 6.28%)

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5. How would you grade Treliving’s off-season?

1. A (53, 5.41%)
2. B (538, 54.95%)
3. C (297, 30.34%)
4. D (61, 6.23%)
5. F (30, 3.06%)

6. If Mitch Marner is not signed by the NHL trade deadline on March 7, what should the Leafs do?

1. Keep him (430, 43.79%)
2. Trade him (552, 56.21%)

7. How do you think Marner will handle playing in such an important contract year?

1. It won’t impact him negatively — I expect he will take another run at his first 100-point season in the NHL. (750, 77.96%)
2. The longer it goes without a contract, the greater his play will be impacted. (212, 22.04%)

8. William Nylander played in 82 games in each of the past two seasons and scored exactly 40 goals in each. Can he take a run at 50 goals or do you expect another year in the 40-goal range?

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1. Yes, I can see 50 goals in Nylander’s immediate future. (518, 53.79%)
2. No. Somewhere around 40 goals seems right again. (445, 46.21%)

9. Auston Matthews scored 69 goals in 81 games last season. Does he score 70 in his first year as Leafs captain?

1. Yes (380, 39.58%)
2. No (580, 60.42%)

10. What should the Leafs do next summer with John Tavares, whose seven-year contract will come to an end?

1. Provided he has not already signed an extension, keep him with a team-friendly AAV. (686, 71.98%)
2. Thank him for his service and let him walk in free agency. (267, 28.02%)

11. Assuming Matthew Knies retains his role on the left side, which of the four players do you anticipate will not be in the opening-night lineup?

1. Nick Robertson (187, 19.73%)
2. Easton Cowan (447, 47.15%)
3. Bobby McMann (63, 6.64%)
4. Max Pacioretty (251, 26.48%)

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12. Do you think Cowan is ready for a full-time role?

1. Yes (382, 41.52%)
2. No (538, 58.48%)

13. If Joseph Woll can’t stay healthy, where is your confidence level with the backup tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Matt Murray?

1. High. I think they’re capable. (548, 59.44%)
2. Treliving will have to make a trade for a goalie before the deadline.  (374, 40.56%)

14. How do you feel about the present state of the defence corps, with the additions of Tanev, Ekman-Larsson and Hakanpaa?

1. I like it. Treliving set out to make it better and he accomplished that. (404, 44.54%)
2. I’m OK with it for now, but it still must be strengthened before the trade deadline. (503, 55.46%)

15. If Treliving has to trade a player to create cap space to, at the least, sign Pacioretty (in camp on a PTO), who should be dealt?

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1. David Kampf (224, 25.14%)
2. Calle Jarnkrok (92, 10.32%)
3. Conor Timmins (261, 29.29%)
4. Timothy Liljegren (146, 16.39%)
5. Nick Robertson (168, 18.86%)

16. What do you think of the move to have Tavares relinquish the captaincy and have Matthews take over?

1. Overdue. It’s Matthews’ team. (429, 48.26%)
2. It would have been fine until next summer, once Tavares’ contract expired. (368, 41.39%)
3. Another player, perhaps Morgan Rielly, should have been named captain. (92, 10.35%)

17. Which player will the Leafs miss the most following his departure during the off-season?

1. Ilya Samsonov (Vegas) (54, 6.06%)
2. Tyler Bertuzzi (Chicago) (613, 68.88%)
3. Joel Edmundson (Los Angeles) (134, 15.06%)
4. Ilya Lyubushkin (Dallas) (89, 10%)

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18. Toronto, Boston, Florida and Tampa Bay have finished in the top four in the Atlantic Division in the past four seasons of regular alignment. Which of the four is the most probable to fall into the bottom four this season?

1. Maple Leafs (118, 13.41%)
2. Bruins (185, 21.02%)
3. Panthers (33, 3.75%)
4. Lightning (544, 61.82%)

19. Where do you expect the Leafs to finish in the Atlantic?

1. First (216, 24.63%)
2. Second (377, 42.99%)
3. Third (196, 22.35%)
4. Fourth (49, 5.59%)
5. Bottom four (39, 4.44%)

20. Which team has the best chance of moving into the top four of the division?

1. Buffalo (172, 20.09%)
2. Detroit (311, 36.33%)
3. Montreal (97, 11.33%)
4. Ottawa (276, 32.24%)

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