Is Now the Time to Buy or Sell on Connor McDavid and Other Players in the Stanley Cup Final?

It is finally here, well, almost anyway. The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will meet on Saturday in game one of the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers have never won a Stanley Cup and the Oilers are eyeing their first Stanley Cup victory since 1990.

The last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

It is hard to imagine Connor McDavid cards having upside, but McDavid may be the player with the most to gain as far as card values go. The three time Hart Memorial Trophy winner has yet to appear on hockey's grandest stage. If his game six performance of the Western Conference Final is any indicator of what is about to happen, watch out.

McDavid's PSA 10 version of his Young Gun is trending upward over the last week.

What happens if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup and McDavid is named the Conn Smythe winner? It is a special time to have special McDavid cards. 

Is it the right time to buy or sell McDavid cards? Keep reading to find out.

Matthew Tkachuk may be the most polarizing player of the Stanley Cup Final and is sure to have an equal amount of attention, and at times greater, than McDavid. Does Tkachuk's talent and attention equate to a rise in his card values?

Tkachuk's cards have a bit of helium as of late thanks to a second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, but a Stanley Cup victory is the only way his cards will have a noticeable spike in value.

Younger Players to Keep an Eye On

Panthers' forward Anton Lundell hit the ground running upon first joining the NHL for the 2021-22 season. Lundell has played 216 regular season games and logged 112 points. The 22-year-old has chipped in with 12 points in 17 games during the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Oilers' forward Dylan Holloway split time with the Bakersfield Condors of the American League and Oilers this season. The 22-year-old has just 18 points in 89 career NHL games and four points in 19 career playoff games.

The Stanley Cup Final can produce unlikely heroes. Unlikely heroes can equate to big jumps in card values.

What About the Veterans?

Goalies Stuart Skinner and Sergei Bobrovsky have been magnificent during the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Forwards Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, and Leon Draisaitl value's will depend on their individual performances and which team wins the Stanley Cup Final.

All of the defensemen playing in this series can be lumped in with the forwards above. A timely goal or a hot streak can elevate values, but whichever team wins the Stanley Cup Final will see the biggest uptick in card values.

Is Now the time to Buy or Sell? 

There is no blanket answer here. There are two perspectives to consider. Who is going to win the Stanley Cup and which players card values have the highest ceilings.

Now is a great time to move your entire McDavid collection, assuming you think the Panthers will win the Stanley Cup. However, there will be seller's remorse if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup and McDavid is named the Conn Smythe winner.

Lundell's and Holloway's card values have nothing but upside, regardless of what happens during the Stanley Cup Final. Lundell has the higher floor of the two players. But as stated earlier, the Stanley Cup Final can produce an unlikely hero. Now is a decent time to invest in Lundell and Holloway.

Tkachuk's card values can see a large rise in value depending on his performance in the Stanley Cup Final. He just needs to find a way to avoid getting 10-minute misconducts at the ends of games as he did in last year's Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Tkachuk is a risky investment because even if the Panthers win the Stanley Cup Final, his card values have been pretty fixed over the years.

Happy hunting and collecting!