The Florida Panthers have achieved a remarkable feat by reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive season. Despite this impressive consistent success in the playoffs, they are notably an exception among highly successful teams because no Panthers player has ever been awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff`s Most Valuable Player.
This spring commemorates the 60th anniversary of the first Conn Smythe Trophy, presented in 1965 to Montreal Canadiens icon Jean Béliveau for his outstanding performance (16 points in 13 games). Since that time, only six franchises—the St. Louis Blues in the late 1960s, the Philadelphia Flyers in the mid-1970s, the Canadiens in the late 1970s, the New York Islanders in the early 1980s, the Tampa Bay Lightning in the early 2020s, and the current Florida Panthers—have made three straight appearances in the Final.
Five of these six teams secured at least one championship and had at least one Conn Smythe recipient. Even the St. Louis Blues, whose path to three consecutive Finals (albeit losses) was aided by playing in the weaker post-1967 expansion division, saw Glenn Hall win the playoff MVP award in 1968.
Florida, of course, lost the 2023 Stanley Cup Final in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights, with Jonathan Marchessault winning MVP. While the Panthers lifted the Cup twelve months ago, the Conn Smythe was awarded to Edmonton`s Connor McDavid, making him just the sixth player in NHL history to receive the trophy while on the losing team.
This places the Panthers, along with the 1977 and 1978 Boston Bruins (defeated by the Canadiens both years), as only the second team to reach the Final in two consecutive years without one of their players winning the Conn Smythe. (The 1969 and 1970 Blues could technically be included, but they are often considered a unique case due to Hall`s 1968 win and their easier path through the expansion division).
The absence of a playoff MVP from Florida`s roster is even more surprising considering the number of players on the team who seem built for playoff success, such as the versatile captain Aleksander Barkov, the dynamic forward Matthew Tkachuk, the soon-to-be well-compensated Sam Bennett, the clutch overtime scorer Carter Verhaeghe, and the standout goaltender Sergei “Playoff Bob” Bobrovsky.
There`s certainly a compelling reason why this team managed to win the Eastern Conference title three years in a row.
Will a Panthers player finally claim the playoff MVP trophy this year, regardless of the series outcome? The field is competitive, but many players mentioned are strong contenders. It`s worth remembering that the unofficial criteria for Conn Smythe voting is often considered to be split roughly 50/50 between performance before the Final and performance during the Final series itself.
Conn Smythe Power Rankings (Final)
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
McDavid has the opportunity to become only the fourth player in league history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in back-to-back years, following Bernie Parent (1974, ’75), Mario Lemieux (1991, ’92), and Sidney Crosby (2016, ’17). He leads the current playoffs in points (26), points-per-game (1.63), and even-strength points (22). If the Oilers emerge victorious, it`s incredibly difficult to imagine anyone other than number 97 being recognized as the most vital contributor.
2. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Draisaitl was one of three Oilers (along with McDavid and another player discussed below) to record nine points in just five Western Conference Final games against the Stars. He is also the only player in these playoffs with two overtime-winning goals. Both Draisaitl and McDavid have played 90 career playoff games; McDavid is third all-time with 1.59 points per game, and Draisaitl is fourth at 1.48. Only Wayne Gretzky (1.84) and Mario Lemieux (1.61) boast higher career playoff points-per-game averages than this exceptional Oilers duo. However, Draisaitl was held without a goal in seven games against Florida in last year`s Final, finishing with just three assists. You can expect him to be determined to significantly improve upon those numbers this time.
3. Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers
Bennett has been a consistent scoring threat, netting three goals in the first round, three in the second, and adding four more in the Eastern Conference Final. This brings his total to 10 goals, making him the leading goal-scorer in the playoffs, three more than any other player in this Final series. If his value as a potential unrestricted free agent was already high before the playoffs, anticipate it rising even further now.
4. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
Barkov`s offensive production has been strong recently, with nine points accumulated over his last six games. A critical aspect of his role in this series will be his ability to shut down Connor McDavid. If Florida wins, it will likely be significantly due to Barkov successfully limiting the impact of the game`s premier offensive talent. This defensive responsibility, combined with his offensive contributions, certainly makes a strong case for Florida`s captain to receive the Conn Smythe.
5. Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers
It`s easy for players to be overshadowed on a team featuring superstars like McDavid and Draisaitl, but Evan Bouchard`s offensive output in recent playoffs is impossible to ignore. Since the start of the 2023 playoffs, Bouchard has amassed an incredible 66 points in 53 contests, more than double the points of any other defenseman in the league (Miro Heiskanen is second with 32). In the current playoff run, he leads all defensemen with 17 points in 16 games and is averaging the most ice time per game (25:01) among all players participating in this Final.
Tristan Blackwood