Originally posted on Daily Faceoff
We’re now halfway to finding out which team will win the Stanley Cup this year — and, also, which player will win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
When we last looked at the Conn Smythe leaderboard two weeks ago, it went without saying that it was still very early. Now, the herd has started to thin out considerably. We’re down from 16 teams to just four.
As such, the margin for error has become razor-thin. Our new No. 1 candidate just barely edged out the other two players in the top three. The players ranked near the bottom of this list could very easily move up multiple spots with strong Round 3 showings. Players not on this list at all could still make their presence felt.
Here’s a look at the Conn Smythe Trophy power rankings with two rounds still to go in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Rank after first round: 2nd
There’s not much to say about Draisaitl at this point that hasn’t already been said. He certainly isn’t the fastest or most dynamic player, but he’s still one of the most talented scorers in the entire National Hockey League. Through 12 games over the first two rounds against the L.A. Kings and Vancouver Canucks, Draisaitl has racked up eight goals and 24 points. Now, it’s very much worth noting that he’s only had to face Cam Talbot, David Rittich, and Arturs Silovs in net thus far, but Draisaitl is more than capable of scoring against anyone. Give Leon an inch, and he’ll take it. The Oilers are up for an extremely tough test against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final, but if Draisaitl manages to beat Jake Oettinger at his current rate, there’s a chance Edmonton could make it all the way.
Rank after first round: 3rd
Johnston was outstanding in Round 1 but went a little quieter from a production standpoint in Round 2, although he still managed three goals in six games against a very good Avalanche team. His best performance of the series came in Game 4, when he scored twice and added an assist to kickstart a dominant Stars win on the road. It’s difficult to be too much of a solo act on a Stars team as deep and balanced as this one, but Johnston has managed to stand out like few others in these playoffs. He’s a relentless attacker who takes a ton of shots and can hold his own in all corners of the ice. He may not be a franchise-defining superstar (yet), but Johnston has so much going for him at such a young age — he only just turned 21 eight days ago.
wyatt johnston simply cannot and will not stop starring pic.twitter.com/kpqG5GRitT
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) May 8, 2024
Rank after first round: 8th
The Rangers ranked last in 5-on-5 expected goals percentage in the playoffs among all the teams to make it to the second round, and they’re still at the bottom of the list in that category entering the Eastern Conference Final. And yet, despite being consistently out-chanced by both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals (!!!) through their first 10 playoff games, the Rangers are riding high thanks to the stellar play of their goaltender. Shesterkin could easily be ranked higher after holding the Hurricanes at bay in Round 2, going 4-2 in the series with a .919 save percentage. He’s been by far the top player on a Rangers team that will be tough to get past the Florida Panthers in the ECF, particularly given that the Cats have a star goalie of their own — but if the Blueshirts do pull it off, Shesterkin could absolutely move to the No. 1 spot on this list.
Rank after first round: NR
Bouchard went full-on thermonuclear in Round 2 against the Canucks, pumping home five goals in seven games while logging a ton of minutes alongside Mattias Ekholm on the Oilers’ top pair. The 24-year-old defender has gradually established himself as a borderline No. 1 guy over the last two seasons and has truly looked the part in this postseason, racking up 20 points in 12 games to go along with a plus-10 rating. Bouchard took 27 shifts in both the second and third games against Vancouver, ending up with 29:59 of ice time in Game 2 and a staggering 31:24 in Game 3. Although the Oilers’ over-reliance on their top players in high-leverage situations is certainly a cause for concern, Bouchard hasn’t shown many signs of cracking under that weight thus far. He’s been outstanding.
EVAN BOUCHARD MAKES THE POST SING 🎶 pic.twitter.com/wGqq3lKJ7h
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 21, 2024
Rank after first round: NR
Speaking of logging a ton of minutes: Heiskanen skated in an eye-popping 38:26 during the Stars’ Game 6 overtime victory over the Avalanche in Round 2. He didn’t have any points in that game, but he did manage four goals and eight points in the preceding five games of the series. Heiskanen is the best workhorse defenseman remaining in these playoffs, and he’s younger than you think — he won’t turn 25 until July. He’s the No. 1 guy on a Stars team that seems destined to go all the way this year, and he’s also the Stars’ only point-per-game player through two rounds. With all due respect to Bouchard and Ekholm, Heiskanen is the best defender in this year’s Western Conference Final, and he makes everyone else on that Stars blueline look better. Thomas Harley scored 15 goals this year while primarily playing on Heiskanen’s left side. He’s the real deal.
Rank after first round: NR
Barkov is the single best two-way forward in the NHL today. He was rightfully recognized with the Frank J. Selke Trophy earlier this week for only the second time of his career, although he’s received votes every year since 2015. It’s hard to say whether anyone will ever truly challenge Patrice Bergeron’s NHL record of six Selke wins, but Barkov has the best chance. He’s been as impressive as ever in these playoffs, racking up 13 points in 11 games while making outstanding defensive plays in his own end of the ice. The Panthers have gotten outstanding performances out of Matthew Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling, Carter Verhaeghe, and many others through two rounds, but nobody has been quite at Barkov’s level thus far.
Still thinking about this Aleksander Barkov blocked shot that sent the Panthers to the Eastern Conference Final 🚫 pic.twitter.com/r848abuYy7
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 20, 2024
Rank after first round: NR
After a so-so regular season, Oettinger has come to play in these playoffs. Granted, the Stars are good enough that they might still have been able to get past the Golden Knights and Avalanche with a lesser goaltender between the pipes, but Oettinger has been absolutely rock-solid through 13 playoff contests. The 25-year-old netminder is 8-5 this year with a sterling .917 save percentage, and he was particularly spectacular against Colorado, allowing just one goal in three out of the six games. We all saw two years ago in Dallas’ Round 1 series against the Calgary Flames that Oettinger is capable of carrying a team on his back, but he hasn’t needed to just yet. Against McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard? He’ll need to be at his very best.
Rank after first round: 4th
After scoring just one goal against the Kings in Round 1, McDavid managed one more against Vancouver in Round 2. Any other forward with two goals in two playoff series probably wouldn’t be on this list, but McDavid is still McDavid, and he has 19 assists through 12 playoff games this year. This playoff run for the Oilers is starting to feel a bit like the one the Pittsburgh Penguins went on in 2009, when Evgeni Malkin outshone Sidney Crosby on his way to winning the Conn Smythe … except that year, Crosby actually still scored 15 goals in the playoffs. McDavid certainly hasn’t been bad, but he’ll need to start shooting and scoring far more if he wants to be crowned playoff MVP. Even in an “off” year, he’s still more than capable of making plays like this:
IN HIS OFFICE 😤 pic.twitter.com/UfZm0Pg8wQ
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 15, 2024
Rank after first round: NR
It’ll be difficult for any Rangers skater to win the Conn Smythe over their goaltender, but Trocheck might have the best case. The 30-year-old forward is coming off a strong series against the Hurricanes, racking up three goals and eight points in six games against his former team. Games 4 and 5 of the series were the first and only games of these playoffs to date in which Trocheck has been held off the board entirely, and he responded in Game 6 with a goal and an assist to eliminate his old friends in Carolina. Only Chris Kreider has more goals for the Rangers in these playoffs than Trocheck, who also leads the team with 14 points. The seven-year, $5.625 million AAV deal he signed with the Rangers back in 2022 is looking well worth it at this point.
Rank after first round: 9th
It’s easy to fall in love with the way Matthew Tkachuk plays the game, even if he sometimes does things to annoy you to no end. The 26-year-old winger barrelled through the competition in last year’s playoffs as the Panthers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, and he’s playing extremely well once again this year. Tkachuk has four goals and 14 points through 11 games, putting him on track to surpass his total of 24 points in 20 playoff contests last year. He’s a fiery competitor who plays a game that is tailor-made for the playoffs, and he looks to be back to his old ways after getting off to a slower start to the regular season while recovering from a broken sternum. If Tkachuk can lift the Panthers past Shesterkin and the Rangers, there’s a strong chance the Stanley Cup ends up staying in Sunrise for the first time in its history.
Matthew Tkachuk started celebrating as soon as the puck left the zone, *before* the final buzzer 😅 pic.twitter.com/8QzqAgP9e0
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 18, 2024
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Originally posted on Daily Faceoff
Published: 5 months ago
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