Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018: 5 Early Conn Smythe Candidates

Each year, the Conn Smythe Trophy goes to the MVP of the NHL postseason. Who are the top five candidates so far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018?

The Conn Smythe is one of the most coveted trophies in hockey. Not only does it mean your team (probably) won the Stanley Cup, it also means you were your team’s MVP while doing so. So far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018, several candidates have emerged.

There have been some extremely impressive performances. Players have taken over games, leading their teams to victory almost single-handedly. Goalies have kept their team in games, stopping virtually every shot they’ve seen.

With all the first-round series being through at least the first two games, let’s take a look at some of the early Conn Smythe Trophy candidates. Don’t worry about the rankings, these are just five players who have stood out the most.

The Tampa Bay Lightning forward has been dominant so far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Kucherov has followed up a triple-digit point season with four points through the first two games of the first-round. One of his two goals has been a game-winning goal as well.

Kucherov has a history of producing in the postseason, so it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him win the award. Heck, if the Lightning had beaten the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, he likely would have won it then. It would have either been Kucherov or Tyler Johnson.

During Kucherov’s previous two postseasons (2014-15 and 2015-16), he has 41 points, which leads all players from those two postseasons. He always finds a way to step up his game in the playoffs. Of course, it will be hard for the Lightning to beat the Boston Bruins, assuming they don’t blow their 2-0 lead in their series. It’s cruel one of the players on this list will be eliminated after the second round because of a lazy playoff format.