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 reportedly took a significant annual average pay cut to stay with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. NHL Insider Jeff Marek believes “Tavares probably could have gotten $8 [million] x 2 [years] with Anaheim.” Marek also wondered if the Utah Mammoth would enter the sweepstakes.

John Tavares got his wish. The Maple Leafs re-signed their former captain to a four-year contract with a $4.38 million annual average value on Friday, a league source said. The deal will keep Tavares,