Canadiens' Subban admits he's entertained thoughts of returning home to play in Toronto

LeBron James doesn't play hockey, but he's put seemingly every Toronto-born superstar in the National Hockey League in a tough spot with his decision to return to his hometown team - the Cleveland Cavaliers - as a free agent this summer. 

Now there's an easy segue, a simple entry point that allows reporters to ask the likes of Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos and Norris Trophy-winning defenseman P.K. Subban to address whether or not they've considered returning to play in their hometown, which happens to be the "center" of the so-called hockey universe. 

The answers are qualified. They include extended comments about how the player is happy with his current team and believes he has a chance to win this upcoming season. Still, those answers are honest and serve to pour gasoline on Maple Leafs-centric speculation.

Subban, for example, was asked the LeBron question by Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post on Tuesday. Here's his answer in full:

Um, I’d be wrong to say that I haven’t thought about it. But one thing’s for sure: Montreal’s a great place to play. The start to a tremendous career — hopefully — has been great in Montreal, when you think that we’ve put together a team that’s been in the playoffs in three out of four years. I’ve been a big part of it. I’ve had individual success as well as team success. You look at last year, what we accomplished. And really, just setting the stage for a legacy there that, possibly, some players will never have in any organization. So I look at that first. But definitely, to think that, at some point, you may have the opportunity to play in your hometown? Yeah, it’s unique. But I’m not in a position to elaborate any more on that. All I can say is that I’ve heard a lot about it, I’ve thought about it — but I’m very happy where I am right now, and they’ve treated me so well.

For Subban, who recently said he'd like to be "a lifer" with the Canadiens, this answer is a no-win proposition. The Canadian Olympian even talked about his legacy in Montreal in his answer, but still, he admitted that the thought of playing in Toronto had crossed his mind in the past, and that's enough to launch thousands of hopeful tweets and dozens of news posts like this one.