The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has re-signed forward John Tavares to a four-year contract extension. The average annual value of the contract is $4.38 million. Tavares, 34,

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.

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.