2026 Conn Smythe Trophy power rankings: Playoff MVP candidates entering the second round
With Hunter Crowther
The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is in the books, and once again, it provided us with many entertaining and chaotic games and series’. It’s also given us some incredible performances from some amazing players (and some no one would have seen coming), all of them essential to their respective teams moving on in the playoffs.
As the second round begins, let’s reflect on the first round and some of the top performances from players by looking at the current frontrunners for the Conn Smythe Trophy. While the value of their performance will play the biggest factor in their ranking, the likelihood of their team winning it all and how much it stands compared to other teammates also played a role.
And this year, we’re going to try something a little different. We’re bringing back the magical power rankings connection of myself and Hunter Crowther to bring this list together. We both submitted our picks, averaged it all out, and then broke down our selections with our typical witty banter and playful insults.
Let’s dive into the 10 frontrunners for the Conn Smythe.
1. Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes
5 GP, 5-0-0, .961 SV%, 2 SO
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 2nd
Hunter: The Hurricanes may have swept the Ottawa Senators in Round 1, but the games were closer than you think, with two of them being decided by one goal and another only being a two-goal win via an empty netter. Andersen looked impressive against the Sens, allowing just five goals in four games, including a 37-save, double-overtime performance in Game 2. He carried that effort into the first game of Round 2, stopping 19 shots against the Flyers to earn his second shutout of the postseason. When you look back at his relatively mediocre regular-season performance, it’s jarring to see how good he’s played.
2. Scott Wedgewood, Colorado Avalanche
4GP, 4-0, .950 SV%
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 1st
Scott: Wedgewood is the top choice for me because he is a clear-cut choice on a team considered to be a top Stanley Cup contender. Will Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar or Martin Necas somewhere down the line in this playoff run? Probably. But in a series where the Los Angeles Kings held the Avs to eight goals in the first three games, and no skater really stood out in the series, Wedgewood’s performance stands out. The Avalanche probably advance regardless of how well he plays with how much better than the Kings they are, but Wedgewood is probably the reason Colorado won in four games.
Hunter: I’ll concede that Wedgewood was far-and-away the most impressive individual performer in Round 1 for the Avs, especially when you consider how little relative production Colorado had against the Kings. But like Scott says, if the Avs advance to Rounds 3 and 4 it’ll be MacKinnon (see below), Makar and Necas who will get some MVP love.
Scott: Heck, maybe even Nazem Kadri or Brock Nelson end up in the fold.
3. Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild
6 GP, 4-1-1, .924 SV%
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 3rd
Scott: The Wild have several candidates for the Conn Smythe, and as you’ll see below, I’m much lower on the rest of the big names than Hunter because of that. But I had to at least have to give Wallstedt his flowers for how essential he was to Minnesota finally ending their playoff series win drought. He finished the first round with a .970 save percentage at 5v5. .970! Somehow that wasn’t even first, as Wedgewood had a .973 5v5 SV%, but putting up those numbers against the Dallas Stars is much more impressive than against the Kings. Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes will likely pull ahead if the Wild’s run continues, but for now, Wallstedt is the team’s MVP.
4. Jackson Lacombe, Anaheim Ducks
6 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 P
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 4th
Scott: The Ducks have several players clicking at around a point-per-game pace. Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry have eight points, Cutter Gauthier has seven, Alex Killorn and Mikael Granlund have six, and Chris Kreider and John Carlson are just behind with five. But while offense was a driving force in the Ducks win over the Edmonton Oilers, it was Lacombe’s defensive play which has given him some high praise in our rankings. With Connor McDavid and Lacombe on the ice, the Ducks outscored the Oilers 10-2 in all situations and had a 3.37-1.64 edge in 5v5 expected goals. When it was Leon Draisaitl and Lacombe, it was 8-4 and a 4.01-1.47 5v5 xG edge. Lacombe didn’t just win his minutes against the Oilers dynamic duo, he dominated them.
Honestly, I’d have strongly considered Lacombe for first on this list if the likelihood of their team winning wasn’t a factor in my rankings. I like Colorado, Carolina and Minnesota more than the Ducks, and I think Anaheim’s path to the Cup looks daunting, especially now that the Golden Knights are on their game. But man, Lacombe put up a performance on McDavid and Draisaitl akin to Gustav Forsling in the 2024 Cup Final. If Lacombe wasn’t already a household name in the NHL, he should be now.
5. Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres
6 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 P
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 8th
Hunter: The Sabres won their first playoff series in 20 years and a major reason for it was the play of Tuch, who looked like the prototype for a modern power forward in the NHL. He scored four goals and finished with seven points against the Boston Bruins in Round 1, but also did a fantastic job of creating offensive opportunities through his physical play, ranking second among Buffalo skaters with 21 hits. It wasn’t just bodychecks where Tuch set the tone, as it was just three minutes into a deciding Game 6 road game where he scored the opening goal, letting his teammates and Sabres fans know they would not be denied. The Canadiens will have their hands full in Round 2.
Scott: It was a tossup between Tuch and Tage Thompson for me, but I can’t help but lean towards Tuch for getting a few more goals.
6. Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
6 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 P
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: N/A
Hunter: When you’re going to be paid the highest salary in NHL history, you better do your part in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s where we’re at with Kirill Kaprizov, who next season will make $17 million per year, but this spring is tied among all active skaters in playoff points with nine. Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes played like superstars in Round 1 against the Stars, combining for 10 goals and 26 points, but it was Kaprizov who helped kick start the offense with a three-point effort in Game 1. After the Stars won Games 2 and 3, Kaprizov assisted on Boldy’s OT-winner in Game 4, then recorded another three-point night in Game 5 on the road, setting up the clinching Game 6.
Minnesota will have their work cut out for them in Round 2 against the Avalanche, but if the Wild advance to their first Western Conference Final since 2003, it will be the play of Kaprizov and co. that get them there.
Scott: I said this with Wallstedt, but the only reason I didn’t have Kaprizov in my top 10 is because I don’t see the Wild winning it compared to some of the other teams remaining, and there’s so many strong candidates that it hurts all their chances of being the surefire candidate. He’s been amazing, but he probably goes much further up my list if Minnesota beats Colorado.
7. Dan Vladar, Philadelphia Flyers
7 GP, 4-3, .928 SV%, 2 SO
Hunter’s Rank: N/A
Scott’s Rank: 5th
Scott: Do I think the Flyers have the strongest chance of winning the Cup? Not really. They’re good defensively, but there’s still some flaws in this team that I think will be exposed playing against a legitimate Cup contender like the Hurricanes (as we’ve already seen in Game 1). But Vladar might be the only player who is far and away the top performance on their team in these playoffs. His 7.85 5v5 goals saved above expected was the best performance from any goaltender in the first round, and when you look at the rest of the Flyers’ outputs, there aren’t many memorable ones. Even Porter Martone, who had a strong early impact against the Pittsburgh Penguins, only has three points thus far. Vladar allowed some tough goals at times, but he made up for it the rest of the time by stifling the Penguins and getting the Flyers to the second round.
Hunter: Vladar was one of the standouts from the 2025-26 season but I was curious to see if he and the rest of the Flyers could carry their regular-season success into the playoffs. It didn’t take long to realize that they could, as Vladar’s 42-save shutout performance in Game 6 helped Philadelphia advance to Round 2. I will echo Scott in that I don’t think the Flyers have a good shot against the Hurricanes, but if they have any hope of an upset, Vladar will need to put up a Conn Smythe-like performance.
8. Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens
7 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 P
Hunter’s Rank: N/A
Scott’s Rank: 6th
Scott: In a playoff series where Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield felt a tad more ordinary than usual, and the Habs got more out of their depth than expected, there isn’t a true standout. But Hutson has been so valuable to them all year with how he’s evolved his defensive play this season, and that was the case against the Tampa Bay Lightning. When he’s on the ice, the Habs play like a Cup contender. When he’s not, they play like a fringe lottery team. Add in him tying for the team lead in points and scoring an OT GWG, he’s been super important for the Habs surprise victory over the Lightning.
Hunter: If we’re going by the same definition as we do for the Hart Trophy, then Hutson is far-and-away the favorite. He found the scoresheet in all but one game in their seven-game series against the Lightning and looked like a world-class defender every time he was on the ice. Hearing the Bell Centre get excited when he carried the puck out of the zone was a treat through Round 1.
9. Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
6 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 P
Hunter’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 9th
Hunter: What’s funny about Jack Eichel’s Round 1 performance was that despite recording a goal and two assists between Games 1 and 3, Eichel and the Golden Knights never looked comfortable, and it really felt like the Utah Mammoth were going to defeat them. But back-to-back overtime wins — led by Eichel and his five assists, four coming at even strength — set up a deciding Game 6. Vegas will go into Round 2 as slight favorites against the Ducks, but the likes of the aforementioned LaCombe and their high-scoring young forward corps will be a test for the Golden Knights. If Eichel and co. can outscore both Anaheim and their own goaltending issues, that in itself would be MVP-worthy.
Scott: I actually had Mitch Marner over Eichel in this case, although I think it’s a super close fight. Really, the deciding factor for me was how the narrative would sway the votes, and you just know if these two keep up their performances, the voters will lean the way of Marner for his previous playoff struggles with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
10. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
4 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 P
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: N/A
Hunter: MacKinnon’s ranking and the lack of Avalanche mention on this list speaks to how efficiently Colorado handled the Kings in Round 1. Sure, no Avalanche skater went into Sunday night in the top 50 in points, but it was MacKinnon’s performance in Game 4 that reminded hockey fans and pundits alike that he’s got plenty of gas left in the tank this spring. He scored the opening goal in the first period then recorded an assist and an empty netter in the third to seal it, sending Colorado to Round 2. The Wild will provide the Avs a worthy opponent starting Sunday, and you can expect MacKinnon to ramp up his own play.
Scott: In a premature Conn Smythe pool with so many teams with candidates still in the mix, and how much the Avs offense was based on depth more than their star power, MacKinnon falls by the wayside. We all know if the Avs keep up their run, he’ll be further up the list eventually. Nothing to see here, move along.
EKDAY
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