Panthers' Aleksander Barkov may have more at stake than Oilers' Connor McDavid in Stanley Cup Final

After another outstanding regular season, McDavid leads the NHL with 31 postseason points. Meanwhile, he's only the third player to average 1.50 points per game in both the regular season and playoffs, joining Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky.

Pair the generational McDavid with a deep lineup that includes forwards Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, and the Oilers seem like a mighty tall hill to climb. But, even void of Edmonton's star power, Panthers general manager Bill Zito said the tone Barkov sets on and off the ice separates them from the pack.

"It defines that room," Zito told Jeff Marek of Sportsnet. "Who he is as a person applied to his vocation as a hockey player actually pulls out a lot of those same qualities in his teammates. So, it's paramount to the effort."

Despite going pointless in six of the Panthers' last eight playoff games, Barkov is still tied for seventh in the league in postseason points (17). Meanwhile, he has impacted games dramatically in other ways.

Over the first three rounds of the playoffs, the Panthers held several stars in check, including 2023-24 points leader Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Boston Bruins' David Pastrnak and the New York Rangers' Artemi Panarin. 

However, as Zito stated, Barkov led the charge, holding Kucherov (27:21 TOI), Pastrnak (35:37 TOI) and Panarin (23:09 TOI) to only one goal combined when sharing the same ice.

McDavid may carry the weight of Edmonton on his shoulders as he tries to carve his own path out of the shadow of the franchise's historic past. However, this isn't likely to be the multiple-time Hart Trophy winner's last chance at hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup.

There are compelling reasons to pick either the Oilers or the Panthers to win the Cup. However, after Florida came up short a season ago to win it all, doing so again might paint Barkov as a great player and leader who simply couldn't help his team overcome the odds.  

Barkov is among the favorites to earn the Conn Smythe Award, and while getting past the juggernaut Oilers might take that kind of effort, doing so will forever change the former No. 2 overall pick's perception around the league.