The Edmonton Oilers open the 2024 Stanley Cup Final tonight (June 8) with Game 1 against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.
Edmonton is looking to win its first championship in 34 years. If that happens, then it’s highly likely that for the first time in 34 years, an Oilers player will win the Conn Smythe Trophy.
The Conn Smythe Trophy is, of course, the annual award given “to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs.” The winner is selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the conclusion of the last game in the Stanley Cup Final.
Since it was first awarded in 1965, the Conn Smythe Trophy has gone to a member of the championship-winning team all but five times. Three Oilers have received the Conn Smythe Trophy: Wayne Gretzky in 1985 and 1988, Mark Messier in 1984, and most recently, goaltender Bill Ranford in 1990.
Sometimes, the Conn Smythe Trophy recipient is an obvious choice. Other times, not. Occasionally, the potential Conn Smythe Trophy winner is already clear going into the Stanley Cup Final, but most years, the postseason MVP doesn’t truly emerge until the championship series. And that’s the case this year.
From an Oilers perspective, the list of Conn Smythe Trophy candidates after the first three rounds of the 2024 NHL Playoffs (series wins of 4-1 over Los Angeles, 4-3 against Vancouver, and 4-2 versus Dallas) is considerable. Sure, there is a favorite and a couple of long shots, but it’s not out of the question that any of these individuals could be adding one of hockey’s most exclusive prizes to their trophy case in the next couple of weeks.
Connor McDavid
Edmonton’s captain leads the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 31 points in 18 games. While he’s only scored five times, McDavid has 26 assists, just five short of tying Wayne Gretzky for the all-time single postseason record. Gretzky had 31 apples in 1988 when he won the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading Edmonton to its fourth Stanley Cup.
McDavid’s leadership has shone throughout the playoffs, both off the ice (sticking up for beleaguered teammate Darnell Nurse) and on the ice (setting the tempo for Edmonton’s Western Conference championship-clinching victory over Dallas with a sensational goal). The 27-year-old playing a complete game reminiscent of two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sidney Crosby.
Leon Draisaitl
Draisaitl was most likely Edmonton’s MVP through the first two rounds of the postseason, as the German centre racked up 8 goals and 16 assists in 12 games combined against Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Draisaitl was a bit quieter against Dallas, recording two goals and two assists in the six-game series, but his 26 points are still the most in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by any player not named McDavid. And like his pal, Draisaitl is affecting the games in ways far beyond what shows up in the scoring summary.
Evan Bouchard
If Draisaitl wasn’t Edmonton’s top player after Rounds 1 and 2, then that distinction would probably have to go to Bouchard, who set a single post-season record for defenceman by racking up 20 points through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
With six goals and 21 assists in 18 games, Bouchard ranks third for points in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, trailing only his aforementioned teammates, but the 24-year-old’s statistics are most impressive when put in a historical context: he already has the fourth most assists, fifth most points, sixth most power-play goals (four) and sixth most game-winning goals (three) by a blueliner in an NHL playoff year.
Zach Hyman
Hyman is the runaway leader in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 14 goals, four more than second-place Draisaitl, in 18 games. He has a shot at equalling — perhaps even surpassing — the all-time single-postseason record for of 19 goals, shared by Reggie Leach (with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976) and Jari Kurri (with the Oilers in 1985).
The six-foot-one winger was dynamite in Edmonton’s opening-round victory over the Kings, scoring seven times in just five games. He has three game-winning goals in the 2024 NHL Playoffs, including one against Dallas last Sunday when the Oilers punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
Stuart Skinner
After Skinner’s subpar start to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, in which he posted a 3.22 goals-against average (GAA) and .877 save percentage (SV%) through Edmonton’s first eight games, Skinner was benched in favour of Calvin Pickard for Games 4 and 5 against Vancouver. But since making his return to action on May 18, the 25-year-old netminder has backstopped the Oilers to six wins in eight games, with a 1.81 GAA and .919 SV% over that stretch.
If there was an MVP award for the Western Conference Final, Skinner should have received it. He stopped 34 of 35 shots in Game 6 and allowed more than two goals just once in the series.
If the Oilers are to hoist the Stanley Cup, they may need Skinner to be the difference-maker for a second straight round. The battle for hockey’s holy grail begins just after 8 p.m. Eastern Time in South Florida.
