Results From Recent Poll Have Leafs Fans Largely United on What the Summer Plan Should Be

With rumours abound over where Mitch Marner will end up when free agency starts on July 1st, fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs have had their say on whether the star should stay or go.

It was just one of the questions asked in the Toronto Sun's annual poll on the direction of the team, but it was the one where most agreed on the answer.

Just under 65 percent of those who responded said it was time to cut Marner loose.

As for other free agents, the vast majority of respondents want to keep John Tavares (77 percent), but they want him to take a discount on his next deal, and agree it shouldn't be any longer than three years.

Respondents also voted for Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Nikolaj Ehlers as the three players the Maple Leafs should target in free agency.

The poll confirms what many Maple Leafs fans have been feeling since the team was eliminated from the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Florida Panthers, and it seems a breakup with Marner is inevitable at this point.

At the same time, losing a name like Marner means Leafs GM Brad Treliving will have a big hole to fill in the lineup, and there are likely several teams in line to throw money at names like Bennett and Marchand, creating a bidding war to drive up the price. Treliving has to find a balance between maintaining a competing roster, and not blowing his entire salary cap on one or two free agents.

It has been noted that the Maple Leafs can offer Marchand a unique opportunity that other teams can't when it comes to endorsement deals.