Connor McDavid Just Won the Conn Smythe Trophy

What more can you say about Connor McDavid and his play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

He is putting on a Michael Jordan performance for the Edmonton Oilers as he locked up the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He might have gotten off to a slow start in the Stanley Cup Final, with just three points in the first three games, but McDavid exploded in Games 4 and 5. Over his last two games, McDavid has eight points in two elimination games. He is the only player in NHL history to have back-to-back four-point games in the Stanley Cup Final. Wayne Gretzky had multiple four-point games in the Stanley Cup Final but not in consecutive games.

McDavid continues to break records in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is the third player in history to have 40+ points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, joining Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. In Game 5, McDavid had another four-point night, as documented, moving his point total to 42. He passed Gretzky’s 1993 Playoff mark of 40 points to be fourth all-time in playoff scoring.

Connor McDavid is one point behind Gretzky’s 1988 mark of 43 points heading into Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. He passed Gretzky’s 1988 playoff assist mark of 31 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. McDavid set the record with 32 assists in that game and moved the total up to 34 assists in Game 5, but he has not finished yet.

McDavid is three away from passing Lemieux’s mark of 42 points, set in 1991, and six from passing Gretzky’s all-time mark of 47 points, held in 1985. He is showing why he is the best player in the world in the Stanley Cup Final.

Connor McDavid is putting the Edmonton Oilers on his back. He continues to amaze his teammates.

“He knows when to turn it on, he can, and he had a heck of a game. And that’s why he leads us lead by example, Corey Perry said after Game 5. “He puts his team on his back when we are against the wall, and he puts us on his back, and he plays, and you know, you see why he is the best player.” 

Perry was not the only one to comment on McDavid. Following Game 5, Zach Hyman was asked what he saw in McDavid’s play over the last two games.

“Yeah, obviously he’s been driving the bus since before I got here. Since I’ve been here,” Hyman said. “He’s the guy who has been leading this team, and kind of expected from him, obviously. You don’t want to put any extra pressure, but it’s what he does, and he elevates his game at the most opportune times for us. And he’s been great.”

Adding to his statistical chart, McDavid has 11 points through the first five games of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, second most behind Lemieux’s 12 points. The all-time mark is held by Gretzky, who has 13. He did that in 1988. Not to mention, McDavid has 25 points in even strength. The next closest is Evan Bouchard, who has 18 even strength points. If there were ever a debate about who the Conn Smythe Trophy winner is, it would be Connor McDavid.

The race is not even close. Win or lose, Connor McDavid wrapped up the Conn Smythe Trophy with these two performances in Games 4 and 5. The odds via SportsInteraction say so, too, at -225. Not to mention the analysts.

“He has to be right now, and I know there’s a lot of hockey left, hopefully for the Oilers. Game 6 and hopefully Game 7 that could decide the Conn Smythe Trophy winner is when it’s all said and done, but right now, it has to be Connor McDavid, TSN Hockey Analyst Martin Biron said. “He’s the best player in the world. He’s the best player in the final. He’s the best player in the playoffs.” 

Before you can make a case for a Florida Panthers player, the argument is over who the Conn Smythe Trophy winner is: Connor McDavid and it is not even close.