Conn Smythe Power Rankings: Wingers leading MVP charge

Would a rare Conn Smythe Trophy winger win be a good harbinger for the Vegas Golden Knights?

Despite being the most represented position in a game, a winger has been named playoff MVP just 10 of the 60 times the Conn Smythe has been handed out since 1965.

For reference, centres have won the award 21 times, followed by 17 goalies and a dozen blue-liners.

The last time a winger claimed the award was three years ago in 2023, when Jonathan Marchessault’s 13 goals tied Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for the playoff lead and Vegas won the Stanley Cup. 

Marchessault — now a member of the Nashville Predators — is just one of four wingers to win the Conn Smythe in the past 30 years and one of them has a huge connection to Vegas’ Stanley Cup Final opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes. Justin Williams — “Mr. Game 7” — won playoff MVP honours in 2014 with the L.A. Kings, eight years after he was a huge part of Carolina’s only title in 2006.

The only other wingers to win the Conn Smythe this century are Patrick Kane in 2013 and Alex Ovechkin in 2018.

There’s a decent chance we’re adding a name to that list at the end of this Final, with wingers representing five of the top nine players — including two of the top three — on our Conn Smythe power ranking below. 

To get a sense of how strong the wingers have shown out this spring, consider the fact Golden Knights' Brett Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev are on pace — if the Final goes at least six games — to become the first teammates with at least 14 goals apiece in a single playoff run since centres Sidney Crosby (15) and Evgeni Malkin (14) did it with the Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. As it stands, Dorofeyev and Howden are tied for the goal-scoring lead with 10 tucks apiece. 

This is a good time to remind everybody that the unofficial formula for Conn Smythe voting is giving 50 per cent of the consideration to everything that came before the Final and the other 50 to what happens on the biggest stage. A huge Final can certainly vault somebody from low on the list up to the very top. 

With that in mind, here’s our final Conn Smythe power ranking of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

1. Mitch Marner, Vegas Golden Knights

After an explosive second round (11 points in six games versus the Anaheim Ducks), Marner cooled a bit in the Western Conference Final. The Vegas winger had three assists in four games against the Colorado Avalanche and was held without a point in two of the contests. 

Still, Marner’s 21 points and 11 primary assists both lead the playoffs. 

2. Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights

Eichel’s 16 helpers top the post-season charts and he’s second behind Marner in scoring with 18 points. Given his all-around importance as Vegas’ top centre, Eichel is going to get serious consideration for the Conn Smythe.

3. Taylor Hall, Carolina Hurricanes

On a team full of relentless forecheckers, Hall might be the most smothering of the lot. He leads the playoffs with 14 five-on-five points in 13 games and his 5.15 goals/60 minutes at five on five also top the league. 

4. Logan Stankoven, Carolina Hurricanes

Stankoven leads the playoffs with seven five-on-five goals and five of his nine tallies overall came at a point where the game was within one goal. Stankoven’s three game-winning goals is tied with Brett Howden for the playoff lead and, remember, everybody on the Canes has played at least three fewer games than the Golden Knights players who’ve suited up for 16 matches. 

5. Carter Hart, Vegas Golden Knights 

Since Game 6 of the first round, Hart has a .935 save percentage in 12 outings. And if you cut things off at Game 6 of the second round, that SP jumps to .948. Hart has gotten better and better for this team as the playoffs wear on. 

6. Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes

It’s easy to give Andersen short shrift because the Canes have been so dominant while wining 12 of 13 playoff contests. The numbers are the numbers, though, and Freddy has a fantastic, playoff-best .931 save percentage through three rounds and his 11.5 goals saved above expected are second only to Montreal hero Jakub Dobes (13.3). With as much rest as he’s received this spring, it’s reasonable to hope the veteran Andersen finishes strong in the Final. 

7. Brett Howden, Vegas Golden Knights 

It’s easy to think a 12-goal scorer from the regular season will eventually hit the wall in the playoffs, but Howden just keeps rolling. He’s the only Golden Knight to have at least two tallies in each of the first three rounds. Howden is tied with Stankoven for the GWG lead (three) and if he gets a fourth short-handed goal in the Final he’ll set the NHL record for a single post-season. 

8. Jackson Blake, Carolina Hurricanes

The least-celebrated member (outside Raleigh, anyway) of the Canes’ best line just keeps on chugging. Four players arrive in the Final playing at a point-per-game clip and Blake (1.15) is one of them along with Marner (1.31), Hall (1.23) and Eichel (1.13). What a fourth-round find this 22-year-old is. 

9. Pavel Dorofeyev, Vegas Golden Knights

Dorofeyev’s goals have come in bunches this spring, with four in a two-game stretch and six in another four-game run. If he can get hot and pop five more in the Final, a playoff MVP is within his reach. 

10. Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights

No player left in the dance is averaging more ice time per game (25:29) than Theodore. He also has the most points of any defenceman in the Final with 11 in 16 contests and his three even-strength goals are tied with Buffalo Sabres' Mattias Samuelsson and Bowen Byram for the most by a blue-liner in the post-season.

11. K’Andre Miller, Carolina Hurricanes

Miller, a first-year Cane, is proving why Carolina paid the freight to get him from the New York Rangers one year ago. He leads all Hurricanes defencemen in points (eight, all assists) and ice time (23:55 per game). His plus-14 mark leads the 2026 post-season.

12. Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights

Stone returned for the final two games against the Avs — after missing the previous five Vegas contests — and scored a goal in each. He’s got a 5-5-10 line in 11 post-season outings this spring and could vault into Conn Smythe contention with a big Final.