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Maple Leafs player poll: Inside the group chat, bad texting etiquette and more

Updated Jan. 29, 2025, 10 a.m. 1 min read

Ever wondered how the Maple Leafs really feel about their teammates? Welcome to part two of this years player poll, a glimpse inside the 2024-25 Leafs.

In case you missed it, part one can be found here .

Part one reveals why one Leaf doesnt participate in surveys.

We also ask which player is the most opinionated and attempt to settle the William Nylander-Auston Matthews style debate.

Advertisement In part two, were looking at which Leaf gives the best advice and who is going to make the best coach or media member after their playing careers are done.

We also go inside the group chat and reveal players phone habits.

A reminder on the (not exactly scientific) methodology: We crafted 12 questions with the goal of shedding light on the personalities behind the players.

Twenty-two Leafs answered our questions over the past three months.

Some had multiple responses to individual questions (even when only one was called for).

Some had no response to certain questions at all.

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And very quickly, the Leafs have become one of the most veteran-heavy teams in the NHL.

That made us curious: Who is earning the ears of teammates? Not surprisingly, the votes made up for a healthy split.

Different veterans provide different types of advice.

First, the obvious: John Tavares .

The parent of three has learned to lean on the side of positivity.

(Tavares) looks at things through a lens thats encouraging, which is why its effective, Bobby McMann said.

Hell say You were in a good spot there, call for it next time.

Hell tell you things are good, but you just need to alter things a little bit.

Hes got a lot of experience and hes a smart guy, so I like listening to his advice, David Kampf said of Tavares.

Want the straight truth? Go to newcomer Chris Tanev .

Hes seamlessly adapted to life as a Leaf with his penchant for telling things exactly how they are.

Hes a warrior, hes been around, hes battled through injuries, Philippe Myers said of Tanev, before sharing an example of what hes heard from his fellow defenceman: "Shits going to happen, so you just have to keep going and stay positive." Tanevs advice is so effective it led Simon Benoit to think of him in the lone vote he cast in this survey.

Advertisement I dont just talk to (Tanev) about hockey.

Hes a pretty f---ing simple, direct guy.

He is so straightforward," Benoit said.

There was a time when Jake McCabe didnt feel as comfortable speaking up in the Leafs room.

But those feelings have dissipated.

Tanev said he goes to McCabe as a shoulder to lean on, and hes not alone.

For me, with my shoulder, (McCabe) went through the same sort of thing and he was great to lean on, Connor Dewar said.

He was also great when I got here because hed played with guys in Buffalo that I played with in Minnesota: ( Nick Foligno ), ( Zach Bogosian ).

We went through a similar situation.

Just the way he plays, I look up to him.

He plays hard and he takes care of himself.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson s lone vote came from Steven Lorentz after the two connected during last seasons Stanley Cup run with the Florida Panthers .

Hes a great mentor, Lorentz said.

He has so much experience and hes easily approachable.

Hes not blowing smoke.

Hes going to say things the way they are.

Mitch Marner had three choices: Rielly, Tavares, and Ryan Reaves .

"Pretty calm, cool, collected with their opinions," he said.

"Theyre not biased with stuff.

Theyll just tell you the truth." Marner is right.

Rielly, the longest-tenured Leaf, has plenty to say.

And if you know how lighthearted but genuine Rielly can be, youll know how much his teammates want to be around him.

Im gonna say Mo, Reaves said.

Rielly was across the dressing room when he heard his teammates answer.

Whats that? Best-looking guy? Rielly said with a grin.

If you want serious advice, go to Johnny.

If you want the 'Good Cop,' you go to Morgan, Matthew Knies said.

Rielly couldnt help but smile, again, hearing that.

Ill take that as a compliment, he said.

"We know the answer to that one," Marner said.

"(Ryan Reaves) must have been the runaway for sure." Reaves indeed ran away with it.

He isnt just loud.

Hes well-spoken, insightful, has lengthy NHL experience and isnt afraid to speak his mind.

Reaves would be a welcome change to an NHL media environment that can be too buttoned-up.

And judging by how his Leafs teammates quickly pointed to him when asked this question, were not alone in our assessment.

Advertisement Ive thought about (doing media) and Ive had a few agencies call me over the last few years.

I guess they thought Id retired, Reaves quipped.

My hang up with it is I would rather do something like 'Spittin Chiclets' or 'Inside the NBA' where you can speak freely and have a little fun and its not so dry.

Hockey doesnt do a very good job at marketing the game because they want everything to be so black and white.

You cant have a very strong opinion about things, you cant have fun with things.

I feel like we fall behind other sports in that regard.

That would be my hang-up to just going anywhere on TV.

Marner, another talkative Leaf, garnered some votes.

Lorentzs logic behind voting for Marner makes serious sense.

(Marner) had gotten some heat so he knows the good and the bad side of (the media).

He navigates it very well, Lorentz said.

Finally, lets not forget about Benoit.

Hes quick with a self-deprecating joke and could be a future broadcaster, with a caveat.

It has to be a French channel, though, McMann said.

In total, 12 Leafs garnered votes as likeliest to step behind the bench when their playing careers are finished.

Weve got some high-IQ guys on the team, Lorentz said.

If thats the case, its no surprise Tavares won the vote.

(Tavares) has a lot of experience.

He can understand hockey pretty good.

I think he would be a great coach, Kampf said.

McCabe, for one, doesnt mind the idea of coaching.

But not at the pro level, he said.

McCabe marvels at how often professional coaches are fired and how short their tenures often are.

But the idea of coaching somewhere with more security and the opportunity to make a long-term difference like, say, the college level? The veteran defenceman would be into that.

Reaves feels more strongly about coaching.

Advertisement Hes the only one I know who actively wants to be a coach, Rielly said.

Other players who got votes did so, again, because their smarts stick out.

Pontus Holmberg is a really smart player.

His English isnt the best, but he takes knowledge and it isnt in one ear and out the other.

He could coach in Sweden, Lorentz said.

Given his star status in Toronto, Marner will likely have no shortage of avenues to take once his playing days are finished.

Could coaching be the route he takes? (Marner) has just got a good mind for the game.

I can see him being an assistant, a players coach, Conor Timmins said.

Hes always watching video, McMann said of Marner.

He sees the game and understands it well.

I understand hes animated and emotional, but he also knows the game so well, and theres a reason for that.

Coaching wont be for every Leaf, though.

"We'll see how much I like retirement and being at my house and relaxing," Marner said.

Holmberg threw Ekman-Larsson a vote.

And as the defenceman heard Holmberg, he threw that vote right back.

You picked me? For what? Ekman-Larsson said.

Coach, replied Holmberg.

Coach?! Ekman-Larsson asked incredulously, shaking his head before walking away.

It can be the most random time in the summer and no matter what, youll see 'RR' pop up on your phone, Nick Robertson said.

Every group chat needs an instigator; someone to keep the dialogue alive during low points.

On and off the ice, Reaves fills that role.

(Reaves) has a comment about everything.

He likes to get involved.

It might be chirping guys, he might be backing guys, but hes always in there, McMann said.

Advertisement Its been fascinating to watch Reaves evolution within this Leafs team.

Treliving clearly values intangibles and wants players who provide spirit within a dressing room, even if that means they dont provide consistent offence on the ice.

Reaves was a hit with Leafs fans early on last season before his play lagged.

There was a late-season bump.

This season, hes often been a healthy scratch, but his role off the ice has not diminished.

When hes not playing, Reaves still stands at the front of the team to hype players before they take the ice.

Reaves is no shrinking violet.

And his teammates appreciate how that manifests in their group chat.

Its little things, little jokes, but hes good with stuff like, Oh, did someone lose something, I found this.

Hes a really good presence on the chat.

Its not too much, Lorentz said.

Anything that he finds funny, hes posting in there, Myers said.

Reaves gladly accepts that hes become the teams social director, which manifests on tiny screens.

If there's something to chirp somebody about, it will be put on a group chat.

If there's some kind of scheduling, a lot of times I'll put that up there: away from the rink its team parties, fine fund, money on the board.

But a lot of times its just banter, Reaves said.

The only other player who garnered any serious votes shouldnt come as a surprise to Leafs fans: the same player who was once voted the loudest on the team, Mitch Marner.

Weve all seen it happen before in group chats, too.

The dialogue gets hijacked by two people, leading everyone else to quietly wonder why those two dont take it outside.

Most of the Leafs surveyed insist the team group chat is a healthy place, with room for improvement.

Ryan Reaves and Mitch Marner, Rielly said when asked for his vote.

But they basically talk to each other on the group chat, which I think is criminal.

Advertisement Marner insists there's a reason for this.

"Im the guy that plans all of our fun events for the team and Reavo also does that.

Were just the most active, because were just throwing in ideas to try to get the guys together," Marner said.

"If no one responds to Reavo ...

he doesnt like that, so Ill reply once in a while to him." !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r

Its got to be Matthew Knies, Robertson said.

McCabe, Marner and Max Pacioretty agreed.

So did Joseph Woll , but with a caveat: Hes the hardest to get ahold of.

But hes on his phone the most.

Him and Conor Timmins scroll TikTok for hours, Rielly said of Knies.

The 22-year-old felt he was being unfairly maligned.

I think its just because Im the youngest on the team, so theyre going to put it on me, he said.

Knies recalled a team dinner when the subject of screen time came up.

Everyone checked their phones for the actual numbers.

I was in the average of everyone else, Knies insisted.

Its just to pass the time, he continued.

On one of the teams many flights, for instance.

Knies will send texts, hell FaceTime friends back home, scroll TikTok, just as Rielly suggested, and YouTube as well.

I just like watching videos, Knies said.

Ill throw Kniesy under the bus, Ekman-Larsson said, concurring with the masses.

Minten, too, the elder Swede added as the 21-year-old strolled by in the dressing room.

Look, right now, Ekman-Larsson said.

Minten was looking at his phone.

For Minten, though, the choice was obvious: Knies.

Someone known for his phone habits, but with a more old-school approach: Benoit.

Hes always making phone calls, Dewar said.

Advertisement Ugh, Benny.

100 percent, Timmins agreed.

Hes making phone calls 24/7 on the bus, in the change room, everywhere.

Holmberg concurred.

Every time he looked, he said, Benoit had a phone in his hand.

He has a lot of business phone calls, Kampf said.

And as Dewar and Timmins both noted, those calls were always in French for the native of Laval, Que.

Someone young, said the 35-year-old Tanev, pondering the question.

Lets see ...Willy.

Nylander looked in Marners direction.

So did Knies and Lorentz.

But thats only because he does the music around here, Lorentz said.

Thats not a bad thing, right? You can probably just put all of the above, Tavares said.

We all probably spend too much time (on our phones).

But then the former captain selected one above the rest: Domi.

McMann agreed: Its always fantasy football and checking scores, usually.

(We all know the type!) He left me hanging a couple times this summer, Rielly said while also putting Nylander in the slow-to-respond category.

He thinks its cool, Rielly said of Nylander.

Nylander conceded as much.

Me, he said of the teammate who was slowest to respond.

Sometimes Nylander saw the messages.

Sometimes he didnt.

Eventually Ill respond, he said.

While Knies was willing to acknowledge that he was slow to respond and definitely among the slowest Leafs, he figured Woll was even slower.

If I call him, I might never get a call back, Knies said.

Its crazy.

Woll thought otherwise.

Its Kniesy with an asterisk, he said.

If its something hes interested in, thats important to him.

If hes not interested in it, then him.

Timmins, seated a couple stalls from Woll, agreed: (He) will make the plans and then youll never hear back from him.

Advertisement I mean, yeah, thats true, Knies said.

Kniesy, you might not hear from him for a couple days, Timmins said.

You gotta FaceTime him or else you never get a reply.

For McMann, the choice was clear.

Joe Woll for sure, McMann said.

He puts his phone away for hours at a time.

Ah s--t, Im probably not great, said veteran McCabe.

But Ill say John Tavares.

Its not rudeness.

But Im not great at it either.

John Tavares, Pacioretty said.

John, for sure, Reaves added.

"Ill probably just go with one of the dads," Marner said in picking Rielly and Tavares.

Tavares didnt hesitate when asked who was the slowest teammate to respond to messages.

Me, he said.

Ekman-Larsson has been trying to stay off his phone as much as possible and admitted that he was, well, pretty slow in getting back to his teammates.

But Holmberg was even slower, he said.

I dont think its me, Tanev said.

(Holmberg) probably.

It can be me, Holmberg said with a grin.

(Photo: Mark Blinch / NHLI via Getty Images).

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