Conn Smythe Watch: Who's leading for Stanley Cup playoffs MVP? - ESPN

The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs are down to their final two teams, as the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers meet for the second straight season for the right to lift the chalice. One of the players in this series is going to win the Conn Smythe as NHL postseason MVP.

Mikko Rantanen led the Conn Smythe Watch over the past two rounds of voting. But he's gone, and so are the Dallas Stars, which means there's a new leader for NHL postseason most valuable player.

We asked more than two dozen national and beat writers covering the Stanley Cup Final to name their top three MVP candidates after three rounds of play. Ballots were collected and tabulated before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Keep in mind that in the NHL, the Conn Smythe is based on a player's performance during the entire postseason, not only the championship round. The award is voted on by an 18-person panel of Professional Hockey Writers Association members.

McDavid won the Conn Smythe last postseason in a losing effort. Based on his lead for the award heading into that rematch with Florida, he might win it again — whether the Oilers win or lose.

McDavid takes over the lead from Rantanen, moving up from third on our voters' ballots before the conference finals. He's the only player to appear on every ballot we collected, and he was ranked first overall on 71% of them. Every ballot that didn't have McDavid first had him ranked second.

The Edmonton star enters the Final with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 16 games. He roasted the Stars with points in every game, and nine points total in their five-game elimination of Dallas. Two of those goals ended up being game-winners, although the Oilers outscored the Stars by a 19-5 margin in their wins.

«McDavid won