We’re just over halfway through the 2018 postseason and a select group of players have started to separate themselves from the pack.
After scorching the Lightning with a last second laser in the first period, and adding an additional assist, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin now leads all remaining players with 17 points. Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele has emerged as one of the playoffs’ most valuable players with 16 of his own, while his goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has demonstrated why he was named a Vezina candidate during the regular season. Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien hasn’t looked half bad wreaking havoc from the back end either.
With all of this said, there have been a handful of players who have quietly enjoyed a strong postseason, and could emerge as the Conn Smythe winner with a steller second half of the playoffs. With that in mind, here are four underdogs who could be named the second season’s MVP in June.
PAUL STASTNY
Jason Halstead /Getty Images
Arguably the strongest acquisition from this year’s trade deadline, Stastny has made Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff look like a genius through April and May so far. The 32-year-old donned a cape in Game 7 against the Nashville Predators while scoring two goals and an assists in a 5-1 victory. If Stastny can lead the Jets to their first Stanley Cup, he could be given an additional piece of hardware if he continues his strong play.
BLAKE WHEELER
Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images
Wheeler’s strong playoffs has seemingly been on the down-low. The Jets’ captain has racked up 3 goals and 12 assists so far; nine of which came against the Predators. Wheeler has gotten used to lighting up the stat sheet (led the Jets with 91 goals in 81 games) and his strong play could lead to him being named the playoff’s MVP. Don’t expect him to slow down while playing on the team’s top line with Scheifele and rookie line-mate Kyle Connor.
JOHN CARLSON
Mike Carlson/Getty Images
While teammates Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov have been leading the way offensively, Carlson has been getting it done on both ends of the ice. The American leads all players with 10 power play points and has averaged 26:21 minutes per contest. He and Byfuglien have emerged as two favourites to win the award from the back end.
BRADYDEN POINT
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos are the obvious front-runners from T-Bay, but Point isn’t very far behind. The 22-year-old currently sits third in team points and tied for second in goals with Stamkos at 4. If the Lightning can squak by the Caps, don’t be shocked if he finishes the postseason as their top scorer.
This isn’t to say these players are nearly the top contenders for the award. Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has arguably been the league’s most valuable player in the postseason while Braden Holtby has slowly emerged as a favourite for Washington. However, these are just a handful of skaters who have quietly enjoyed success so far over the past month.
With all of this in mind, it will be hard for any of these skaters to win the award unless they can capture hockey's Holy Grail.
