Conn Smythe Watch: Connor McDavid for MVP of the playoffs -- win or lose?

The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs are down to their last 2 teams, arsenic the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers conscionable for the 2nd consecutive play for the close to assistance the chalice. One of the players successful this bid is going to triumph the Conn Smythe arsenic NHL postseason MVP.

Mikko Rantanen led the Conn Smythe Watch implicit the past 2 rounds of voting. But he's gone, and truthful are the Dallas Stars, which means there's a caller person for NHL postseason astir invaluable player.

We asked much than 2 twelve nationalist and bushed writers covering the Stanley Cup Final to sanction their apical 3 MVP candidates aft 3 rounds of play. Ballots were collected and tabulated earlier Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Keep successful caput that successful the NHL, the Conn Smythe is based connected a player's show during the full postseason, not lone the title round. The grant is voted connected by an 18-person sheet of Professional Hockey Writers Association members.

The existent MVP leader

Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers

McDavid won the Conn Smythe past postseason successful a losing effort. Based connected his pb for the grant heading into that rematch with Florida, helium mightiness triumph it again -- whether the Oilers triumph oregon lose.

McDavid takes implicit the pb from Rantanen, moving up from 3rd connected our voters' ballots earlier the league finals. He's the lone subordinate to look connected each ballot we collected, and helium was ranked archetypal wide connected 71% of them. Every ballot that didn't person McDavid archetypal had him ranked second.

The Edmonton prima enters the Final with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) successful 16 games. He roasted the Stars with points successful each game, and 9 points full successful their five-game elimination of Dallas. Two of those goals ended up being game-winners, though the Oilers outscored the Stars by a 19-5 borderline successful their wins.

"McDavid won maine implicit successful the past series," 1 elector revealed.

Last postseason, McDavid became the 2nd non-goalie successful NHL past to triumph the Conn Smythe successful a losing effort, arsenic the Oilers fell successful Game 7 to the Panthers. Now, he's trying to go the 4th subordinate ever -- and the archetypal subordinate since Sidney Crosby (2016-17) -- to triumph consecutive Conn Smythe Trophies.

There's a non-zero accidental helium could triumph a 2nd consecutive playoff MVP grant successful a losing effort, fixed his existent level of enactment from voters. But that's astir apt the past happening McDavid wants to acquisition again.

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McDavid: Everybody stepped up successful bid win

Connor McDavid reflects connected the Oilers heading backmost to the Stanley Cup Final to play the Florida Panthers.

The different favorites

Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Florida Panthers
Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers

If it's not McDavid, "Playoff Bob" mightiness person the wrong way for the Conn Smythe implicit his Florida Panthers teammates.

Bobrovsky has a .912 prevention percent and a 2.11 goals-against mean successful the playoffs. He had a prevention percent of .920 oregon amended successful 4 of the Panthers' 5 games against the Carolina Hurricanes successful the Eastern Conference finals -- his worst crippled statistically was successful their Game 5 elimination of the Canes. That's the lone crippled of his past 9 appearances, dating backmost to the 2nd circular against Toronto, successful which Bobrovsky had fixed up much than 2 goals. Bobrovsky is tied with Edmonton's Stuart Skinner with 3 shutouts to pb the postseason.

Bobrovsky was the wide 2nd prime by our voters, acknowledgment to 4 first-place votes for the Conn Smythe.

"If Florida wins, I presume it'll beryllium due to the fact that Bob is amazing," explained 1 elector who had him second.

Barkov leads the Panthers with 17 points successful 17 games, including six goals. Look nary further than Game 5 against Carolina to witnesser his impact, arsenic Barkov was a one-man forecheck earlier assisting connected the series-clinching extremity precocious successful the 3rd period. The Panthers people 57% of the goals and make 57% of the expected goals erstwhile Barkov is connected the crystal astatine 5-on-5.

Florida's skipper was archetypal connected 1 ballot we collected and appeared connected 63% of each ballots. That's really much than Bobrovsky (58%), but Bob had the higher placements.

For what it's worth: Barkov was second to McDavid successful the Conn Smythe voting past play contempt not receiving a first-place vote.

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Fortenbaugh's champion stake for Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup rematch

Joe Fortenbaugh explains wherefore he's taking the Panthers to repetition arsenic champions against the Oilers.

Making their cases

Sam Bennett, C, Florida Panthers
Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers

Draisaitl received the astir enactment of immoderate subordinate extracurricular the apical three, but determination was a palpable spread betwixt him and Barkov. Draisaitl appeared connected 42% of the ballots we collected but received lone 1 first-place vote.

The Oilers prima is 1 constituent down McDavid, with 25 done 16 games, and has scored 1 much extremity (seven) than McDavid successful the playoffs. If Draisaitl has a ascendant Stanley Cup Final and Edmonton wins the Cup, he's successful presumption to perchance hurdle implicit McDavid for MVP.

"This should astir apt beryllium a apical 4 acknowledgment to Draisaitl," argued 1 elector who had Leon close extracurricular of their apical three.

Bennett is the wide 3rd prime connected the Panthers. He appeared connected 20% of the ballots we surveyed and garnered 2 second-place votes. Like Draisaitl, he's lone 1 constituent disconnected the scoring pb for his squad (16 points successful 17 games).

Bennett leads the playoffs with 10 goals and has been a carnal unit for the Panthers successful each series. As a pending unrestricted escaped agent, a Conn Smythe Trophy would bash wonders for his earning potential.

On the cusp

Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, F, Edmonton Oilers
Seth Jones, D, Florida Panthers
Brad Marchand, LW, Florida Panthers

Bouchard was the lone subordinate successful this tier to look connected aggregate ballots, each of them third-place votes. He's tied for 5th successful the playoffs with 17 points, easy the astir by immoderate defenseman successful the postseason, with 13 of those points coming astatine adjacent strength. He leads each Oilers successful mean crystal clip (25:01 per game) and has skated to a plus-9.

The remainder of the players received lone 1 third-place vote.

Nugent-Hopkins is 3rd connected the Oilers, with 18 points successful 16 games. He had the game-winner successful the archetypal play of their captious Game 2 triumph implicit the Stars.

Jones has 7 points successful 17 games for the Panthers, skating to a plus-9. While helium has played connected what's technically the 2nd paring with Niko Mikkola, Jones is starring Florida with 24:59 successful mean crystal clip per game.

Finally, Marchand has been immense for the Panthers down the lineup with 14 points successful 17 games, bringing his trademark hustle, agitation and offense to the 4th tally to the Stanley Cup Final successful his career. He besides scored the astir important extremity of the Panthers' postseason: successful overtime of Game 3, down 2-0 to Toronto successful the series.

But 1 elector fancied Marchand's linemate arsenic an under-the-radar choice. "Eutu Luostarinen would legit beryllium 4th for me," the elector declared of the Florida winger, who has 13 points successful 17 games.

Lack of buzz

Stuart Skinner, G, Edmonton Oilers
Sam Reinhart, F, Florida Panthers
Matthew Tkachuk, RW, Florida Panthers
Carter Verhaeghe, LW, Florida Panthers

According to ESPN BET, these players are among the apical 10 successful likelihood to triumph MVP earlier the Stanley Cup Final. But nary received a ballot connected immoderate of the ballots we surveyed.

Tkachuk (16 points successful 17 games) and Verhaeghe (14 points successful 17 games) are some among the Panthers' starring scorers, with Verhaeghe having scored 2 game-winning goals successful the playoffs. Verhaeghe appeared connected 1 Conn Smythe ballot past postseason, portion Tkachuk did not look connected any. Reinhart is close down them, with 13 points successful 15 games, having missed a mates games against Carolina owed to an injury.

Skinner is possibly the top reminder that the Conn Smythe is an grant for the totality of the playoffs. Skinner has been unthinkable since his reset, getting benched successful favour of Calvin Pickard earlier returning against Vegas successful the 2nd circular erstwhile Pickard was injured. Since Game 4 against the Golden Knights, Skinner is 6-1 with a .944 prevention percentage, a 1.41 goals-against mean and 3 shutouts.

Could an MVP effort successful the Stanley Cup Final counterbalance Skinner's struggles earlier successful the playoffs? Perhaps. But past he'd inactive person to flooded McDavid for playoff MVP. And according to the ballots we received, McDavid's moving distant with the happening close now.