Connor McDavid is already on one Conn Smythe Trophy short list; could he jump on a second this spring?
Last season, McDavid became the sixth member of an exclusive club you must go through something excruciating to join — win playoff MVP without also winning the Stanley Cup.
In fact, McDavid is only the second skater to win the Smythe without the Cup, as the list includes four goalies — Detroit’s Roger Crozier; St. Louis’ Glenn Hall; Philadelphia’s Ron Hextall and Anaheim’s Jean-Sebastian Giguere — along with McDavid, and Flyers sniper Reggie Leach.
Hall and Leach had already won titles when they were named MVP in a losing cause, Giguere got his ring in 2007 with the Ducks four years after his Conn Smythe showing in 2003, while Crozier and Hextall never got to the mountain top.
For McDavid’s sake, here’s hoping if he wins another Conn Smythe this year, it will be paired with that big, silver trophy, too.
If McDavid is named MVP of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he’ll become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Conn Smythe Trophies. The only three to do it so far are Philly’s Bernie Parent (1974 and ’75), Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux (1991 and ’92) and another all-time Penguin, Sidney Crosby (2016 and ’17).
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McDavid’s Oilers are back in the Western Conference Final for the second straight spring and third time in four years. And while Edmonton’s success is about more than the guys at the top of the lineup, No. 97 is, once again, proving he’s a clutch performer with the best points-per-game mark (1.55) of anybody who’s played eight post-season games this spring.
Of course, no team advances to the final four without some signature performances. With that in mind, we present the Conn Smythe power rankings at the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs’ halfway (plus one game!) point.
1. Mikko Rantanen, Dallas Stars
While Rantanen slowed a bit toward the end of Dallas’ six-game win over Winnipeg — he didn’t record a point in the final two contests — he still leads the playoffs in goals (nine) and points (19). He’s been everything the Stars could have asked for and more. Now, Dallas needs that support scoring staff to get going.
2. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
McDavid has been held pointless just twice in 11 outings this spring. Will playing only five second-round games as opposed to the seven Edmonton had to gut out last year to get past Vancouver help the Oilers and their captain stay fresh deep into the playoffs?
3. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
The only guys still playing who have more points than Draisaitl’s 16 are McDavid (17) and Rantanen (19). The German scored the overtime winner in Game 2 versus Vegas — he’s the only player with two extra-time winners this spring — and he drew the first assist on the series-ending goal scored in OT by Kasperi Kapanen that gave Edmonton a 1-0 victory in Game 5.
4. Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
Nobody has scored more goals per game than Svechnikov this spring (0.73), and his eight total tallies in 11 outings are the second-most overall behind only the nine Rantanen has deposited in 13 games. He scored in Games 2, 3 and 4 versus Washington in Round 2 and two of those strikes proved to be game-winners.
5. Brad Marchand, Florida Panthers
Nobody had more second-round points than Marchand, who posted three goals and five helpers for eight points in seven games against the Maple Leafs. His overtime winner in Game 3 — when the Panthers were down 0-2 in the series — was likely a season-saver.
Florida’s third line of Anton Lundell between Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen — who had seven points in seven second-round games himself — has been massive for the Cats.
We know Marchand is a Leaf-killer; can he keep it rolling in Round 3 and beyond?
6. Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes
Andersen had a .937 save percentage in the five-game, second-round victory over the Capitals. His .919 save percentage overall is tied with Jake Oettinger for the best mark in the league, and his 9.4 goals saved above expected are the most of any goalie in the post-season.
7. Thomas Harley, Dallas Stars
Harley is second among defencemen in playoff scoring with 11 points in 13 outings, and his average ice time of 26:27 per night is tops among all skaters in the post-season. Nobody has played more total minutes (346:04) than the Stars’ 23-year-old defenceman this spring.
8. Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers
There is one defenceman in the history of hockey who has played at least 60 NHL playoff games and posted a higher points-per-game mark than Evan Bouchard: His name is Bobby Orr.
With 12 points in 11 games this year — the most among D-men in the playoffs — Bouchard is now up to 70 points in 64 career second-season games. That gives him a points-per-game mark of 1.09, a number that trails only the 1.24 registered by Orr in 74 playoff games.
9. Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes
Jarvis has been held without a point in just two of Carolina’s 11 outings so far and leads the Canes with 12 points. The only three players still in the derby with a better points-per-game mark than Jarvis’ 1.09 this spring are McDavid (1.55), Rantanen (1.46) and Draisaitl (1.45).
10. Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
Oettinger posted a .911 save percentage in Round 1, and that number jumped to .929 in the second round, so he’s picking up steam. Every win Dallas grabbed versus the Jets came when Oettinger allowed two goals or fewer, so he hasn’t had much margin for error.
11. Seth Jones, Florida Panthers
How good does GM Bill Zito’s trade deadline season work look now? We already touched on how well Marchand is doing, but don’t forget about Jones. Only two guys — Harley (26:37) and Bouchard (26:24) — are averaging more time per game than Jones (25:39), and he’s played more total minutes (333:25) than everybody except Harley. With six points in 13 tough-assignment games, Jones has been huge for the Cats.
12. Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers
Bennett scored three times in Round 1 versus Tampa, three times in Round 2 against Toronto and already has a goal in the Eastern Conference Final versus Carolina. His seven tallies lead the Florida club he’s such an integral and unique part of come this time of year.
13. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers
After seven playoff games, Bobrovsky had a gruesome .876 save percentage. He flipped the switch just in time, though, shutting the door on the Leafs after Toronto took a 3-1 lead in Game 3 while holding a 2-0 advantage in the series. ‘Bob’ was big the rest of the way in that had-to-have-it Game 3 overtime victory and has posted a .952 save percentage in his past five outings, four of which have been W’s for Florida.
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