Hockey careers are strange beasts. Some burn bright and fade quietly. Others, like Dustin Penner's, explode in flashes of brilliance and then implode in ways that leave you shaking your head. Born in Winkler, Manitoba, Penner wasn't the most heralded prospect coming out of the University of Maine or the American Hockey League, but he had the size-6-foot-4, 247 pounds-and the sneaky skill that makes a power forward dangerous. Related: NHL Rumors: McTavish Trade, Draisaitl Theory & Luke Hughes Done? Anaheim got a glimpse of
A look at current NHL award and Stanley Cup odds reveals that sportsbooks see Marner as just as vital to Toronto's past success as Auston Matthews, if not more. With Vegas now carrying stronger Cup odds than the Leafs, and Marner getting equal or better odds in some major award categories, the betting markets are quietly suggesting one thing: the Maple Leafs may be heading for a step back without him.
"It's special, obviously, just from my time here as a player, from all that we went through that year, obviously winning at the end of the year. I haven't been back since."