The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are half over, 12 of the 16 teams to qualify for the postseason already have been eliminated. Among those knocked out include the Winnipeg Jets, who won the Presidents’ Trophy as top regular-season team, and the Washington Capitals, who finished atop the Eastern Conference this season.
The Western Conference Final features a rematch from a year ago, when the Edmonton Oilers face-off with the Dallas Stars. Edmonton bested Dallas in six games last spring to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Dallas eyes revenge this year, appearing in its third straight conference final.
Over in the East, the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are in their third straight Eastern Conference Final. They won each of the previous two years, including 2023, when they swept the Carolina Hurricanes, their opponent this spring.
So, halfway through the postseason, who are the top contenders for the Conn Smythe Trophy, voted as most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Let’s take a look at two candidates from each of the remaining four teams.
Related: NHL playoff predictions: Picks for conference finals, 2025 Stanley Cup champion
1. Mikko Rantanen – Dallas Stars
Rantanen leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs with nine goals and 19 points in 13 games. The 28-year-old forward already has two four-point games, three three-point games, consecutive hat tricks, and two game-winning goals. He helped save the Stars season with a four-point third period in the Game 7 victory over his former team, the Colorado Avalanche, in the first round.
2. Connor McDavid – Edmonton Oilers
McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy in last year’s playoffs, when he led all skaters with 42 points in 25 games. However, he would’ve traded that for winning the Stanley Cup, which the Oilers failed to do, losing to the Panthers in seven games. McDavid’s at his best again this spring, leading the postseason with 14 assists and tied for second with 17 points in 11 games.
3. Brad Marchand – Florida Panthers
An incredibly impactful acquisition right before the trade deadline, Marchand’s been all that the Panthers could’ve ever dreamed he’d be in the playoffs. With his Energizer Bunny motor that never shuts off, Marchand’s a perfect fir for the relentless Panthers attack. The 37-year-old is tied for the Panthers lead with 12 points and helped eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the second round with a three-point effort.
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4. Frederik Andersen – Carolina Hurricanes
Andersen’s been the best goalie in these playoffs by a good margin. He’s 7-2 in nine starts with a 1.36 goals-against average, .937 save percentage and one shutout. Andersen has allowed as many as three goals once, and one goal or fewer in six of nine games. Yes, the Hurricanes play outstanding team defense in front of him. But Andersen has been out of this world so far in the 2025 postseason.
5. Leon Draisaitl – Edmonton Oilers
McDavid’s sidekick, who led the NHL with 52 goals during the regular season, has 16 points in 11 games so far in the playoffs. He’s been consistent with at least one point in all but two games, and exploded for a four-point performance in Game 4 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings. He’s also been Mr. Clutch. Draisaitl has two overtime game-winning goals, one in each round, this postseason.
6. Jake Oettinger -Dallas Stars
Oettinger hasn’t been as lights out as Andersen, but he’s been really good, with far less help than his Hurricanes counterpart. The 26-year-old has the second best GAA in the playoffs (.919) and fourth-lowest GAA among qualified goalies (2.47). That’s playing for a team that’s allowed an average of 31.8 shots per game and has a minus-4 goal differential in the playoffs, averaging the fifth-fewest goals scored.
7. Andrei Svechnikov- Carolina Hurricanes
Svechnikov is second behind Rantanen with eight goals in the playoffs, doing so in 10 games. He had five in five first-round games against the New Jersey Devils, including a hat trick in Game 4. He then helped close out the Capitals in the second round, scoring a goal in each of the final three games. The 25-year-old’s scored seven times at even strength and leads the postseason with three game-winners.
8. Eetu Luostarinen – Florida Panthers
Could’ve gone with Sergei Bobrovsky or Sam Bennett here, too, but Luostarinen has been exceptional for the Panthers in these playoffs. Like his linemate Marchand, Luostarinen has three goals, nine assists and a team-high 12 points, already more production than he had in 24 playoff games a year ago. He’s winning one-on-one puck battles at an incredible rate, gets to the net for scoring chances, and is a sound defensive forward. The 26-year-old had three points in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs and four when the Panthers closed out the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the first round.
