2026 Conn Smythe Trophy power rankings: Playoff MVP candidates entering the Stanley Cup Final
With Hunter Crowther
Three rounds are in the books, and we’re down to two teams playing for the Stanley Cup. The Carolina Hurricanes have had as clean of a run to the Final as any team, while the Vegas Golden Knights have turned on their game at the right time. Both teams bring elite defensive hockey to the table, so while we may not be in for an entertaining final, real hockey nerds will appreciate the chess match which is about to unfold.
Both teams wouldn’t have made it this far without some key performances from some key players, and when one of these two teams gets rewarded for their hard work, one player on the winning team will also get rewarded for his hard work with the Conn Smythe Trophy. But which players are leading the way to getting named playoff MVP? We have the answers for you right here.
Much like the regular season, where we ranked every team, Hunter Crowther and I have linked up to find the best options to win the playoff MVP title. We both submitted our picks, averaged them all out, and then broke down our selections.
1. Mitch Marner, Vegas Golden Knights
16 GP, 7 G, 14 A, 21 P
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 1st
Hunter: Don’t let the lack of goals in the Western Conference Final fool you: Mitch Marner was one of the best players in the Golden Knights’ four-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche, generating scoring chances for himself and his teammates, hovering near the top for expected goals, as well as neutralizing any Colorado skater he went up against, showcasing his defensive that still gets overlooked by many. It’s not hyperbole to say we’re watching him the best hockey of his career.
And as I mentioned at the end of the second round, the Marner-from-Toronto-to-Vegas storyline is too juicy for the voters to pass up on. Everyone and their aunt has spent the last month-and-a-half telling you the Toronto Maple Leafs drove the elite winger out of town, despite nine years of evidence to contradict that. If the Golden Knights are the ones hoisting the Stanley Cup, it’ll be Marner who’s handed the Conn Smythe moments before then.
Scott: I don’t know man, he went another series without getting points in Games 5, 6 and 7, that might cost him.
But in all seriousness, he has been incredible, and performing as well as some of us expected him to (just scroll down to my name on this roundtable).
2. Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes
13 GP, 12-1-0, .931 SV%, 3 SO
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd
Scott: Andersen remains the frontrunner for the Conn Smythe Trophy on the Canes side largely because we still haven’t seen a true candidate emerge. It makes sense with how team-oriented Rod Brind’Amour’s systems are, but with the top guys underperforming, and the Blake-Hall-Stankoven line all playing relatively equal to each other, it makes sense that the goalie who is a product of the team’s elite defensive system remains the frontrunner.
I actually had him in first for a bit because I like Carolina in the Final slightly more than Vegas, but between the Golden Knights having a true front-runner in Marner, and Andersen’s “struggles” (aka he didn’t make a lot of saves because he didn’t face a lot of shots) in the third round, it dropped Freddie ever so slightly for me. It still feels like there’s room for a Canes player to go nuclear in the Final and win the Conn Smythe on that performance alone.
Hunter: It’s hard to believe that Andersen is having one of the best goaltending performances — at least statistically — in modern history. He’s allowed more than two goals just once in 13 games, and that was Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens, the first contest after a 12-day break.
I have no doubt the Golden Knights could chase Andersen at least once in the Final, but Carolina has been so good at suffocating opponents in the neutral zone and clogging passing lanes, it’s made life easier for Andersen. As Scott said, if no other Hurricane stands out, the Conn Smythe is his to lose.
3. Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
16 GP, 2 G, 16 A, 18 P
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 5th
Hunter: If you could grey out the opponent’s sweater colors, then watch Jack Eichel’s playoff highlights from both 2023 and 2026, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. The 29-year-old center is playing elite hockey right now, leading the postseason in assists and dominating at both ends of the ice. For fans who seldom watch West Coast games unless they involve one of Colorado or the Edmonton Oilers, they got to see Eichel shut down the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. Eichel only having two goals in the playoffs may hurt his standing with the writers, but if anyone in Vegas wins instead of Marner, it will be him.
4. Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights
16 GP, 4 G, 7 A, 11 P
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 4th
Scott: I think Theodore has had a really underrated performance in these playoffs for Vegas. I’ve had my criticisms of his game before (if you’d ask me about him around the Olympics, I’d have said he is what people think Evan Bouchard is), but in a season where there was a vacancy at the 1D spot in Vegas, he’s stepped into it. He’s always been productive, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to see him at the top of the scoreboard among remaining blueliners. But his pairing with Brayden McNabb has been elite defensively, as their 2.14 5v5 expected goals against per 60 minutes is tied for ninth among pairings with 50 minutes together in the playoffs. Oh, and that pairing faces the toughest competition on the team. Voters always love a good defenseman story in the playoffs, and Theodore should at least get some late votes if Vegas wins.
Hunter: A criticism I had of the Golden Knights through the regular season was not adequately addressing the absence of Alex Pietrangelo, who was an anchor during their ‘23 Cup run. I know they went out and acquired Rasmus Andersson, but his impact felt minimal before the end of the year, and their lack of goaltending before the playoffs appeared too much to overcome. But the Theodore-McNabb pair has been a force, and if they were able to shut down an elite line centered by MacKinnon, then they’ll be ready for the ‘Canes.
5. Taylor Hall, Carolina Hurricanes
13 GP, 5 G, 11 A, 16 P
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 6th
Hunter: I’ll admit right off the bat that I’m a sucker for the “veteran player going on a deep run to win his first Stanley Cup” storyline, and there’s no better example than Taylor Hall. It was only last spring the 34-year-old advanced beyond the second round for the first time in his career, and while he wasn’t much of a factor last spring, he’s had a major impact on the Hurricanes’ current run. With five goals and 16 points through 13 games, including the opening goal and a three-point effort in Game 5 against the Canadiens, Hall has been a force for Carolina.
6. K’Andre Miller, Carolina Hurricanes
13 GP, 0 G, 8 A, 8 P
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 3rd
Scott: Every year, there’s always one defenseman who isn’t well known amongst the casual hockey community who goes on a deep playoff run and gets more recognition. Usually, they’re better known for their defensive game than their offense, making it harder for the average person to spot them. This year, that defenseman seems to be Miller. While he’s been productive in the playoffs (eight assists in 13 games), it’s his strong defensive game which draws more attention. His 2.08 5v5 xGA/60 is fourth among defensemen with at least 100 minutes in the playoffs, and he’s doing this while facing the toughest competition among any of the Canes’ defensemen – even Jaccob Slavin. There was some initial shock to Miller’s contract with Carolina, but he’s already proving to be worth every penny. For my money, he has the second-best odds, even if it’s just because the Blake-Hall-Stankoven line will split some votes for how equal their play is.
Hunter: If you’re a New York Rangers fan, you have to be wondering: “Where the hell was this?!” Miller has looked fantastic for the Hurricanes, closing gaps and showing foot speed that would be impressive for any player, let alone someone who is 6-foot-5 and 215 lbs. It’s so difficult to cleanly enter the offensive zone and make crisp passes in the postseason, but Miller makes it look easy; he’s a prime example of why hockey analysts use the too-often quoted phrase “great first pass.”
7. Logan Stankoven, Carolina Hurricanes
13 GP, 9 G, 3 A, 12 P
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 7th
Hunter: After going goalless in the first three games against the Canadiens, Logan Stankoven scored in Games 4 and 5, including the game-winning goal in the series-clinching win on Friday. When you factor in that Stankoven scored in all but two of Carolina’s games in the first two rounds, there’s a good chance he’ll be the team’s Conn Smythe favorite if Andersen isn’t as sharp in the Final as he was in the first three rounds.
8. Pavel Dorofeyev, Vegas Golden Knights
16 GP, 10 G, 4 A, 14 P
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 9th
Hunter: Tied for the NHL lead with 10 playoff goals, despite only scoring once in round three, Pavel Dorofeyev is sending a message to Golden Knights’ management — and the rest of the league — that he’s a big-time player worthy of a big-time contract. If he finds that production again in the Final, Vegas’ odds of winning will rise like the Fountains of Bellagio.
Scott: Marner may be the bigger story for the Conn Smythe, but if Dorofeyev pots another five or six goals in the final and wins the award, he’s creating an interesting summer for himself. If there was ever an offer sheet candidate, especially with how many enemies the Golden Knights have recently, it’s Dorofeyev.
9. Carter Hart, Vegas Golden Knights
16 GP, 12-4-0, .924 SV%
Hunter’s Rank: 9th
Scott’s Rank: 10th
Scott: Can the case be made that Hart has been the second-best player on the Golden Knights in this playoff run? Absolutely. However, there is a massive elephant in the room when it comes to voting for Hart. Whether you agree with the results of the 2018 trial surrounding the Canadian World Junior trial or not, considering how many other candidates there are on the Golden Knights for writers to vote for, I’d imagine most of them will avoid Hart and the backlash that comes with it, as well as shining a spotlight on a controversial signing by Vegas.
Now, you can point to an instance like Patrick Kane winning the Hart Trophy in 2016 after he was investigated for sexual assault in the 2015 offseason as an example of the writers ignoring off-ice issues when the on-ice play justifies an award, but I present two points. First, Kane was far and away the best player of the 2015-16 season. He had 106 points, while the next closest player was Jamie Benn with 89, and even the best defensemen and goalies that season weren’t on his level. Hart has significantly more competition for this award, making it easier for the off-ice issues to swing voters in other directions. Also, the Professional Hockey Writers Association didn’t publish individual ballots in 2016. It was a lot easier to vote for Kane when people don’t know who voted for him.
All that’s to say, if we were going purely on on-ice play, he’d probably be in the top five. But you can’t ignore how the trials play into whether he gets votes or not, which should impact where he falls in these rankings. Whether you think it’s deserved or not, it’s a situation which can’t be ignored.
10. Jackson Blake, Carolina Hurricanes
13 GP, 5 G, 10 A, 15 P
Hunter’s Rank: N/A
Scott’s Rank: 8th
Scott: The entirety of the Blake-Hall-Stankoven line has been amazing for the Hurricanes, but Blake finds himself the odd man out of the three in these rankings. He isn’t leading the team in points like Hall is, and he isn’t leading the team in goals like Stankoven is. That doesn’t dismiss how good he’s been, but if voters are looking at the numbers, he falls just short in both. That said, a really good Cup Final, and he could easily surge to the top of this list.
Missed the Cut: Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Stone, Brett Howden, Brayden McNabb, Sean Walker
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