Although John Tavares might be holding onto a glimmer of hope that Mitch Marner returns to the Toronto Maple Leafs, he's being realistic about the situation.

John Tavares Makes Obvious Admission About Maple Leafs Extension originally appeared on Athlon Sports. John Tavares will play for the Toronto Maple Leafs through the 2028–29 season, and according to the captain himself, the financial terms he agreed to weren’t the most lucrative offered to him.

It was sometimes said that John Tavares took a hometown discount when he signed a seven-year, $77 million contract with the Maple Leafs seven years ago, all because one other team, the San Jose Sharks, was prepared to pay him more. Tavares’ $11 million cap hit still ranked right near the top of the league for the entirety of the deal.