Toronto Maple Leafs: Do Ontario born players want to return home?

After the comments made by Drew Doughty during an interview on TSN 1050, it reopens the idea of bringing Southern Ontario players back home.

It is never a dull day when it comes to news and rumours surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs even if people start to speculate on general comments made. It has become second nature in Toronto but for good reason, Drew Doughty was not shy on what he had to say about the possibility of playing for his hometown team with two years left on his current contracat.

The Leafs have bee scrutinized in the past because of the lack of Ontario born players on the team especially when Brian Burke was managing the team. One of the biggest critics has been Don Cherry who has made it known his displeasure with Leafs management. It was not long after Lou Lamoriello and Mike Babcock’s arrival in Toronto seems to echo what people have been saying for a long time. Players from Ontario who want to play here will come and they will be successful.

There were many interesting comments from Doughty’s interview on Leafs lunch especially about his life in Los Angeles.

People automatically assume that since a player from Ontario grew up being a Leafs fan, they would automatically want to play here and be successful. Here is the deal, what separates players is their ability to play in the spotlight and in Toronto, it is rare for a Leafs player or any member of a Toronto sports team to go anywhere without being recognized. For some that is a blessing but for others it is something that can have an effect on them.

Carlo Colaiacovo once said that being drafted by the Leafs was a dream come true and enjoyed playing in Toronto. However, he noticed that he enjoyed playing hockey more when he was not playing for his hometown because his whole life did not revolve around hockey. He enjoyed being able to go out and not have to deal with the outside pressure and have a life to himself. It can effect players when there whole life revolves around what is being said about them everyday in a media crazy city like Toronto and it can be tough to escape that.

This is why the culture that the new management has established is keeping players focused on their performance. Babcock has made it known that he wants the players from Ontario to come to Toronto. He knows that they will be motivated to perform and the Leafs have seen it with the ones that are on the team. The Leafs head coach perfectly summed up his thoughts on hometown boys coming home in an appearance on Leafs lunch back in January.

"We have all the resources and all the opportunity here to have a franchise that is second to none. I believe that is going to lure the Ontario players home. I really do. There is so much support for us here. Now, is that going to lead to pressure at times? Absolutely. What’s the matter with that? It just pushes you to be better. In saying that, the environment here is spectacular. The coverage is spectacular. We’ve just got to perform."

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The first test came last offseason when the team made a pitch for free agent Steven Stamkos who ultimately decided to return with the Tampa Bay Lightning. It then shifted focus on John Tavares who is another example of potential target, but that is next offseason and the New York Islanders will try to get a deal done sooner rather than later.

This is an obvious problem with the idea of Ontario born players coming home. There is no guarantee that it happens so it should not be the team’s main priority and luckily it hasn’t. The best route for the Leafs to bring Ontario born players to Toronto is by drafting and developing them. Another is the attraction of playing with the likes Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner who excelled in their rookie season despite the high expectations placed on them.

The idea of playing with these players should be the extra motivation for players to return home knowing that there is an established core. Players like Doughty, and Tavares would be ideal targets but realistically those players a pipe dream. If the Leafs are smart with their salary cap there is always a chance so never say never.