The Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid and Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov lead the top five NHL Conn Smythe Trophy candidates, but they all stand out in key ways.

The Conn Smythe Trophy is always hard to predict, even when just two teams remain.

It’s not as predictable as it once was, either. Over the last 10 Stanley Cup finals, only three playoff MVPs were the winning team's leading scorer or goaltender, a stark contrast from the previous decade when eight out of the 10 winners between the 2003 and 2013 finals fell into that category.

Sinking our teeth into why we’ve seen a shift is a discussion for another day, but the point is, nowadays, there’s a lot more nuance in Conn Smythe voting.

Here’s a look at the five front-runners for the NHL’s playoff MVP award.

Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid’s game-winning goal in Game 6 of the Western Conference final encapsulated his brilliance.

McDavid received the puck from Leon Draisaitl above the left faceoff circle, seamlessly walked Dallas Stars forward Sam Steel before toe-dragging Miro Heiskanen — one of the world's best defenders — and roofing it top shelf on his backhand post-deke.

“That’s just Connor McDavid doing Connor McDavid things,” Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner told Sportsnet post-game.

"Seen it before, but nice," Leon Draisaitl told reporters, as he's gotten used to his highlight-reel goals.

McDavid has been as dominant as you’d expect in these playoffs, leading the NHL with 31 points. Twenty-six of those points have been assists — another league high — and he’s five helpers away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record for most assists in a single post-season. 

The best offensive player in the world has been lauded for being more dialled in defensively this year. It’s shown in these playoffs, ranking fifth in takeaways (15).

Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers

Mr. Selke has been bringing it.

In addition to being a point-per-game player through 17 playoff contests, Barkov has been a driver in each area where Florida has flourished. 

He’s posted a team-high 61.97 scoring chance-for percentage during 5-on-5 play, logged the fourth-most shorthanded ice time per game (2:11) for the NHL’s second-best penalty kill and registered a league-high 22 takeaways. Oh, and he’s scored three game-winning goals.

Barkov had a quieter Eastern Conference final points-wise, with four in six games — but don't let that detract you from thinking Barkov isn’t Florida’s Conn Smythe front-runner.

Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers

We can’t forget about McDavid’s running mate.

Draisaitl is three points shy of the playoff-scoring lead (28), and it’s not inconceivable he leapfrogs McDavid, especially considering he won’t be drawing as many 5-on-5 matchups against Barkov.

The 28-year-old German always elevates his game when it matters most. He ranks fourth in all-time playoff points per game with 1.57 — trailing only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and McDavid among NHL skaters who have played at least 25 career post-season games.

Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Florida Panthers

Only five of the last 20 Conn Smythe Trophy winners have been goalies.

If the Panthers win this series, there’s a good chance Bobrovsky will be a big reason for it.

Bobrovsky doesn’t boast jaw-dropping numbers — recording a .908 save percentage and 2.20 goals-against average in the post-season — but he’s been a stabilizer for the Cats, especially on the penalty kill. 

His .958 high-danger save percentage during shorthanded situations is the fourth-best mark of any goalie who played at least 10 playoff games over the past decade, according to naturalstattrick.com.

If the NHL’s highest-paid goaltender can silence McDavid and Draisaitl on the man advantage, this is his award to lose.

Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton Oilers

If Edmonton wins and McDavid and Draisaitl somehow don’t win the Conn Smythe, odds are Evan Bouchard had something to do with it.

With 27 points so far this spring, Bouchard has a comfortable lead on third place in playoff scoring all while cementing himself in the NHL’s history books. He ranks fifth all-time for most points by a defenseman in a single post-season, and the final hasn't started yet.

Bouchard’s been remarkable during 5-on-5 play, leading all Oilers skaters who have played at least 100 minutes in these playoffs in Corsi-for percentage (58.42), goals-for percentage (69.44) and scoring chance-for percentage (60.78), according to Natural Stat Trick.

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