Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid wins Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP

Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid has been named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy in recognition of his performance in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Conn Smythe is awarded after the conclusion of each Stanley Cup Final series to the player determined to be the most valuable player to his team in the playoffs.

McDavid, 27, had an historic and record-breaking playoff run for the Oilers, leading the entire league with 34 assists and 42 points in 25 postseason contests. The Oilers captain did not emerge from his team’s dressing room to accept the trophy from National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman.

The Florida Panthers defeated the Oilers by a 2-1 score in Game 7 of the 2024 Final to capture their first Stanley Cup championship since the franchise’s inception in 1993. McDavid became the first player on a losing team to win the Conn Smythe since Mighty Ducks of Anaheim goaltender J-S Giguere in 2003.

A performance for the ages. 👏

With an incredible 42 points in 25 #StanleyCup Playoffs games, Connor McDavid is your Conn Smythe Trophy winner. pic.twitter.com/P3qw9Pv7bE

— NHL (@NHL) June 25, 2024

During the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, McDavid broke Wayne Gretzky’s long-standing record for the most assists by one player in a single playoff year and came within five points of his record for the most points.

The Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and Dallas Stars before falling to the Panthers in the championship round. The Panthers initially led the series three games to none before allowing the Oilers to win three games in a row to force a deciding seventh contest.

Despite posting incredible production throughout the majority of the postseason, McDavid was held without a point in Games 6 and 7 of the Cup Final. This year marked the first time in his nine NHL seasons that McDavid and the Oilers won a playoff game past the second round.

The Oilers originally selected McDavid in the first round (No. 1 overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft. The former Erie Otters superstar has carried on his high-scoring ways into his NHL career, posting 335 goals and 982 points in 645 games; he’s added 37 goals and 117 points in 74 playoff contests.

Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart both scored for the Panthers in their Cup-clinching victory on Monday night; Mattias Janmark tallied the lone goal of the game for the Oilers in their defeat. As McDavid enters the 10th year of his career in 2024-25, he may now have a new trophy in his case, but his search for hockey’s ultimate prize remains ongoing.