The Conn Smythe Trophy does not get awarded in the first or second round of the playoffs. But less than three weeks into the post-season, it's already clear that some players have emerged as early MVP favorites.
Here's a look at five who are leading their teams to what they hope will be an eventual Stanley Cup — that is, if they can advance to the third and final rounds.
Mikko Rantanen
What else is there to say about the man called Moose?
Rantanen, who singlehandedly brought the Dallas Stars back from the dead in Game 7 against the Avalanche with a hat trick in the third period, followed it up with another “hatty” in Game 1 against Winnipeg. He now leads the playoffs with eight goals — two of which are game-winners — and 15 points in eight games.
Maybe he’s still motivated by the ugly trade that sent him from Colorado-to-Carolina-to-Dallas. Or maybe he’s trying to justify the eight-year, $96-million contract extension he just signed.
Either way, the league’s most underrated superstar is no longer underrated anymore.
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William Nylander
Some players shrink when playing under the bright lights of Toronto. Others feed off the pressure.
“Willy Styles” is in the latter camp.
You can say what you want about the Maple Leafs’ inability to get over the hump in the playoffs. But before you lump Nylander with the other members of the Core Four, keep this in mind: in the past six years, Nylander has scored 23 goals and 45 points in 42 games.
This year, Nylander is once again producing when it matters the most.
After leading all Toronto players with 45 goals in the regular season — his third straight 40-goal season — the 29-year-old has a team-leading eight goals and 13 points in eight games. In the process, he has helped the Leafs to a 2-0 series lead against Florida, while also helping veteran linemates’ John Tavares (three goals and five points) and Max Pacioretty (two goals and six points) turn back the clock.
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Connor McDavid
A year ago, McDavid led the playoffs in scoring with 42 points in 25 games. So it’s not exactly surprising that the Edmonton Oilers captain already has 13 points in seven games. What might be noteworthy is that 12 of those points have come in even-strength situations.
That’s more than anyone has scored in 5-on-5.
As opponents know, you can’t stop McDavid. All you can really do is limit his production. Even then, good luck.
After going without a point in Game 2 of a first-round series against the LA Kings, McDavid has been riding a six-game point streak, with nine points during that span. So what if he only has two goals. When you’re on a team that also includes Leon Draisaitl (four goals and 12 points), you don’t need to always be the one scoring.
Kyle Connor
It was Winnipeg's Cole Perfetti who forced overtime in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, and it was Adam Lowry who scored the eventual series winner. But in a playoffs where Mark Scheifele has battled injury and Connor Hellebuyck has battled the ghosts of post-seasons' past, Connor has been the steady leader.
All he does is produce. And he tends to produce when it matters the most.
Connor, who led the Jets with 41 goals and 97 points in the regular season, has four goals and 12 points in eight playoff games. Two of his goals have been game-winners.
In Game 7, he set up three goals as Winnipeg did the improbable and came back 4-3 against St. Louis.
"You’re not just going to sit there and sulk,” Connor told reporters. “You have to do anything you can to help the team push forward."
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Andrei Svechnikov
The Hurricanes are not a star-driven team. That's mostly by design.
The reason why Mikko Rantanen never really found a home in Carolina is because coach Rod Brind'Amour prefers to roll four lines rather than relying on one or two players to get the win.
And yet, where would Carolina be without Svechnikov? The Russian winger only had 20 goals in the regular season, but in the playoffs he's enjoying a sort of coming-out-party with five goals and six points in six games. Those aren't Rantanen-like numbers.
But on a team where everyone is expected to chip in, Svechnikov is chipping in a little bit more than everyone else. It's why the Hurricanes rolled over the Devils in the first round and also why they grabbed a 1-0 series lead against the Capitals in the second round.