Connor McDavid is on the Brink of History as Odds On Favorite to Win Conn Smythe Trophy

Iain MacMillan | Jun 19, 2024

Jun 18, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) skates with the puck during the first period against the Florida Panthers in game five of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Connor McDavid, widely believed to be the best hockey player on the planet right now, has almost single-handedly got his Edmonton Oilers back into the Stanley Cup Final.

The Florida Panthers got off to a 3-0 series lead, but the Oilers have now forced a Game 6 after winning both Game 4 and Game 5. McDavid recorded four points in each of those victories, becoming only the second player to ever do so in a Stanley Cup Final and the first to ever do it in two-straight games.

Here’s the list of players with multiple 4 point games in Stanley Cup Final history:

Wayne Gretzky
Connor McDavid

Here’s the list of players with consecutive 4 point games in Stanley Cup Final history:

Connor McDavid

The end.

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) June 19, 2024

McDavid now has 42 points in 23 playoff games, which is good for the fourth most all time in a single postseason. Mario Lemieux (44) and Gretzky twice (47,43) sit above McDavid in the record books.

As a result, McDavid is now the odds on favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL Playoff MVP.

Conn Smythe Trophy Odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• Connor McDavid -150
• Aleksander Barkov +190
• Sergei Bobrovsky +550

McDavid Poised to Make History

You may notice that McDavid is -150 (60% implied probability) to win the Conn Smythe Trophy despite the Oilers still being +280 to complete the comeback and win the series.

That means there's a very real chance McDavid is given the honor even if the Panthers hoist the Stanley Cup. There is a precedent for this. It's happened five times since the Conn Smythe Trophy began in 1965.

Conn Smythe Winners on Losing Teams in Stanley Cup Final

Year	Player	Position	Team
1966	Roger Crozier	Goalie	Detroit Red Wings
1968	Glenn Hall	Goalie	St. Louis Blues
1976	Reggie Leach	Right Wing	Philadelphia Flyers
1987	Ron Hextall	Goalie	Philadelphia Flyers
2003	Jean-Sebastian Giguere	Goalie	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

The most recent time the Conn Smythe Trophy was given to a member of the losing team was 2003 when Jean-Sebastian Giguere won it for the Anaheim Ducks, posting a playoff save percentage of .945.

What you might notice is that in four of the five instances of this happening, the winner of the award was a goaltender. Only one other time in history was it a forward, Reggie Leach back in 1976. He recorded 19 goals and 24 points in 16 games that postseason.

McDavid is on the cusp of becoming the second forward to achieve that feat.

Of course, if the Oilers come back and win the series, McDavid will be named playoff MVP and no one will blink an eye. I'm also certain McDavid won't care much about winning the Conn Smythe Trophy if the Stanley Cup ends up in the hands of the Panthers, but as a hockey fan, it would be a historic moment worth watching.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.