Regardless Of Who Wins The Stanley Cup, Connor McDavid Deserves To Win The Conn Smythe
There's only been one winner of the Conn Smythe on a losing team in my lifetime. JS Giguere almost stole a Stanley Cup for the Ducks back in 2003. McDavid is doing the same thing in a more difficult position. We've never seen a playoff run like this. And when I say "we" I mean the people reading this blog. There aren't many olds on this site. I might be one of them, to be honest, and I don't remember Gretzky in 1985 (47 points), Mario in 1991 (44 points), or Gretzky in 1988 (43 points). McDavid, with at least one game to go is sitting at 42 points. A genuine chance to break the record for scoring in a single playoff run and he has absolutely dragged the Oilers to the Final and has now dragged the Stanley Cup Final back to Edmonton for Game 6.
Matthew Tkachuk gave a quasi-Messier quote before Game 5
but it was McDavid who delivered. There's never been a player like him. Somehow a 1-on-4 zone entry is a legitimate scoring chance for McDavid.
He makes players on what will perhaps be the best team in the league look like they can barely skate. Completely offbalance. Lost. Helpless. It's bananas
Seemingly every time his team needs to be rescued this postseason, McDavid is there. I think that if you replaced McDavid with any other super star in the NHL the Oilers would've been eliminated by now. By definition nobody is more valuable.
Before Game 5 McDavid was +700 to win the Conn Smythe. Now, he's -150 with Barkov and Bob being the leading Panthers at +230 and +550 on DraftKings. So it appears that there is now a consensus, at least with gamblers, that McDavid should win it even if the Panthers close out the series in 6 games.
If you're around my age, everyone remembers that Giguere run for the Ducks. It's burned in your brain because he carried them all the way to Game 7 and they awarded him the Conn Smythe even though they lost. McDavid's run deserves to be immortalized like that too. He's the most talented player who ever lived. I think you could argue that his supporting cast is weaker than the other names. Gretz had Mess. Mario had Jagr. McDavid has…Hyman, who I love, but he's not those guys.
Leon hasn't been much help offensively in this series either. It's McJesus or bust for Edmonton.
We are witnessing, in my opinion, the single greatest playoff performance ever when you adjust for eras and help. McDavid is incredible. Doing McJesus things. He deserves the hardware no matter what. Add the Conn Smythe to the pile
Brian Babineau. Getty Images.