The NHL’s Conn Smythe Trophy is annually awarded to the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Unsurprisingly, this postseason MVP award tends to go to a player on the team that lifts the Stanley Cup. However, there have been five instances where that wasn’t the case.
Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere was the most recent player to win the Conn Smythe as a member of the losing team in the Stanley Cup Final, doing so after posting a 15-6 record, 1.62 GAA, and .945 SV% in 2003.
As we get set for the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, let’s examine the latest Conn Smythe Trophy odds and pick out our best bets to win the award.
NHL Conn Smythe Trophy Winner Odds 2024
NHL odds used for these Conn Smythe Trophy winner picks are current as of Monday, June 3, and courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
- Connor McDavid (+220)
- Aleksander Barkov (+400)
- Sergei Bobrovsky (+420)
- Matthew Tkachuk (+600)
- Leon Draisaitl (+700)
- Evan Bouchard (+750)
- Carter Verhaeghe (+2500)
- Sam Reinhart (+5000)
- Gustav Forsling (+6000)
- Zach Hyman (+10000)
Conn Smythe Trophy Best Bet
Carter Verhaeghe, Florida Panthers (+2500)
If you’re looking for value and potential upside, Verhaeghe is the play.
The 28-year-old is Florida’s leading scorer this postseason with nine goals and is tied for second in points (17) with Aleksander Barkov, who sits well above him on the odds board. The same is true of the Panthers’ playoff points leader, Matthew Tkachuk (19).
Verhaeghe has a reputation for scoring clutch goals — he sits third on the NHL’s all-time playoff overtime goals list with five — and could easily overtake some of his teammates with a couple of standout performances in the Cup Final.
Florida (-135) is favored slightly to win this series, so I’ll back Verhaeghe at these longer odds as one of my NHL best bets.
Conn Smythe Trophy Favorites
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (+200)
Despite being the betting favorite, McDavid offers reasonable value at 2-1 odds.
If Edmonton wins the Cup for the first time since 1990, there’s a pretty good chance that the face of the franchise wins this award.
The three-time league MVP carried the Oilers past Dallas in the Western Conference Final with 10 points and now leads the league in points (31) and assists (26) this postseason.
There have only been four 40-plus point postseasons in NHL history, and McDavid needs just six points to eclipse the highest playoff point total this century (Evgeni Malkin’s 36 in 2009), so there is a non-zero chance that the 27-year-old wins this award on the losing side.
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers (+400)
Barkov has the shortest odds of any Florida player to win the award, and for good reason.
The Panthers’ captain has been dominant on both ends of the rink this postseason, contributing six goals and 11 assists while also shutting down the opposition’s best players.
In May, Barkov collected his second Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s top defensive forward. His defensive prowess helped Florida keep the likes of Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak, and Artemi Panarin quiet en route to the Cup Final.
If he can slow down McDavid and continue producing on the offensive end, Barkov will be a worthy recipient if the Panthers win the Cup.
Conn Smythe Trophy Contenders
Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers (+420)
When a defensively strong team wins the Stanley Cup, the goaltender usually gets the credit.
Bobrovsky has been terrific between the pipes for Florida this postseason, posting a 12-5 record with a 2.20 GAA and .908 SV%. However, he hasn’t been consistently tested, as his teammates’ stellar defensive play limits the number of shots he faces.
That could change in the Cup Final against Edmonton, but I’m worried the presence of Barkov, who is rightfully recognized for his defensive efforts, could block the 35-year-old netminder’s path to the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers (+700)
If Edmonton wins the Cup and McDavid doesn’t win the Conn Smythe, Draisaitl is the next best bet.
The 28-year-old ranks second behind McDavid in postseason points (28) and is tied for second in postseason goals (10) with Dallas’ Wyatt Johnston.
Draisaitl outperformed McDavid in Edmonton’s second-round series win over Vancouver, recording 14 points in seven games.
With McDavid likely to get the nod if the stats are close, the German forward will likely need a similar performance in the Cup Final to overcome these odds.
Conn Smythe Trophy Sleeper Pick
Zach Hyman, Edmonton Oilers (+10000)
We all know that Hyman isn’t the player that McDavid and Draisaitl are, but the postseason’s leading goalscorer deserves a mention in the Conn Smythe conversation.
Hyman has used his 6-foot-1, 206-pound frame to perfection during the playoffs, posting up in front of the opposition net and capitalizing on numerous opportunities in close.
His 14 goals are only five shy of the all-time NHL record for goals in a single postseason, a mark shared by Reggie Leach and Jari Kurri. Furthermore, Hyman needs two more goals to pass Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby (15 each) for the most goals in a single postseason this century.
If the 31-year-old keeps this tremendous scoring run going and nets a few game-winners en route to an Edmonton series win, he should garner some consideration.
