Hometown Envy?

Call it the Curse of the Blue Kool-Aid. The thing is, anyone outside the GTA is discouraged from discussing a player's desire to suit up for the Leafs. To do so opens them up to a barrage of insults, mostly insinuating that the root of their opinion lies in blatant jealousy

I categorize it as something else. And credit is due to Erin Nicks of the Ottawa Sun for this conclusion;

The fact remains that if a team invokes a player's emotional desire and uses it as a persuasive selling point for their club, you have to give them credit. It's a great card to play if you've got it in your back pocket. And in this new-era NHL, you really need to use every trick in the book.