I don't really think that hometown discount applies in reality. Toronto is arguably the biggest fishbowl in the world of hockey. Guys may grow up dreaming of playing for the Leafs (at least guys that were born in the same era as me - what exactly have the Leafs got to brag about in the last 30+ years?) but I think much as some guys don't like playing in the fishbowl that is Winnipeg, it's about 5 million times worse in Toronto.I think leafs were banking on a competitive advantage in older players choosing to play in Toronto at a deep hometown discount.
I don’t think this came to fruition.
Think of a guy like Dubois. Wants to live in a southern market with anonymity. Or guys like EK who seemed to miss the Atlanta scene. I think it's much harder to play for any Canadian team than it is in the U.S. where the league isn't in the top five of sports (NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball, NASCAR, ...)
Toronto is a great hockey market but it comes with unmatched scrutiny of your play. Take a discount to play for a team that is poorly balanced or go to a southern U.S. market with an at least equivalent shot at the cup? No brainer there IMO. Won't argue that hockey wives would be more accepting of the Big Smoke than Winnipeg, but that's not the comparison being made. It's Toronto vs. wherever else it may be.