Who Are the Golden Knights' Favorites for the Conn Smythe?

The Vegas Golden Knights have had many strong performances from their players, which makes the decision for their MVP that much more difficult.

Coming into the Stanley Cup final, the two betting favorites for the Conn Smythe were both Florida Panthers. Matthew Tkachuk was scoring overtime goals and coming up clutch, while Sergei Bobrovsky was playing as good or better than his Vezina Trophy-winning days and stealing games for the Panthers.

The next six players were all on the Vegas Golden Knights, which was a testament to how many players contributed to their run to the final. There was no clear-cut candidate for the Knights in contrast to Florida’s two obvious possibilities.

Two games into the Stanley Cup final, Vegas is 2-0, and the Panthers may be seeing the magic of Bobrovsky fade away as he was pulled before the halfway point in Game 2. Vegas has had all of their best players step up, which only further muddies the water on just who might take the playoff MVP trophy home. Let’s look at the candidates for Vegas with their betting odds from BetMGM as of June 6. Please play responsibly.

When the Vegas expansion draft went down, the Panthers wound up giving the Golden Knights Reilly Smith in exchange for a fourth-round pick, and Florida left Marchessault unprotected to keep an extra defender. Aaron Ekblad, Alexander Petrovic, Mark Pysyk, and Keith Yandle were the players that Florida wanted to keep. Only Ekblad remains. Marchessault and Smith remain key pieces for the Golden Knights.

Marchessault, in particular, has been on a tear over the last dozen games, with 12 goals in that span. His 12 goals lead all remaining players in goal-scoring in the playoffs, and his 21 points are the second-most points of anyone remaining as well, trailing only Jack Eichel and Matthew Tkachuk, who are tied for first with 22 points.

Marchessault has four points through two games in the finals, including a three-point night in Game 2. The original Golden Knight is getting a full helping of revenge thus far against the Panthers. If he can continue torching the team that sent him packing to keep depth defenders, Marchessault should get the Conn Smythe. Currently the favorite, the narrative and production both put him at the head of the pack.

From forcing his way out of Buffalo to coming back and becoming the Golden Knights’ most electrifying player this year, Eichel’s two-way dominance in the playoffs has been well worthy of Conn Smythe consideration. Eichel leads Vegas in scoring at the moment with 22 points in his first-ever NHL playoff action.

Eichel has been a beast for the Golden Knights. He’s been Vegas’ most consistent forward at both ends of the ice, using his speed and playmaking abilities to make his teammates better while playing the best defensive hockey of his career. Despite notching just four assists in the conference final against Dallas, Eichel was able to drive play and shut down the Stars’ best players with incredible defensive efforts.

When Vegas went to the Cup final a few years back, they were missing that game-breaking star talent. Eichel brings that element to the game every night. We need to look back to just Game 2 of this series to see that, as he was on the wrong end of a massive hit from Tkachuk, which sent him to the locker room. Returning to the bench, Eichel responded right away to set up Marchessault for his second goal of the game.

Robin Lehner. Logan Thompson. Laurent Brossoit. Jonathan Quick. Those are the goalies that were in the plan for Vegas at one point or another this season. Lehner’s season, unfortunately, ended before it started. Thompson dealt with injuries late in his rookie season. Brossoit was hurt early in the second round against the high-flying Edmonton Oilers. Quick has been nothing more than a backup for Vegas. That has left Adin Hill, the least heralded of any of their goalies, to help the Golden Knights pursue the Stanley Cup – and he’s outplayed every goalie he’s gone up against.

While he hasn’t had the run from start to finish that usually warrants Conn Smythe consideration for a goalie, Hill has come in when no one expected him to and been dominant in net for Vegas. In his worst game of the playoffs, allowing four goals against Dallas, he responded with a shutout to win the series. When Florida was beginning to push in Game 1 of the Cup final, Hill came up with a save that will be remembered for years to come, reaching back and taking the puck off the goal line with his stick.

Hill may not be the favorite, but he may be the best bet. He’s been a stud for a team that has needed more goalies than you can count on one hand this season, coming in and providing exceptional goaltending. His .937 save percentage leads the playoffs. He has the best save of the playoffs. He wasn’t expected to even play in the post-season, and yet he’s become the safety net the Golden Knights need.

As he has been throughout his career, Mark Stone has quietly been one of the best players on the ice. He doesn’t have the speed or upper echelon skill that people typically associate with superstars, but he makes up for it in spades with intelligence and work ethic. His ability to strip pucks off opponents and create offense from nothing has been well documented, and it’s been on full display in these playoffs.

Stone has 17 points in 19 games, but his impact at both ends of the ice, his physicality and his intelligence have made him effective every shift. Whether he’s throwing hits without a stick or scoring goals and pumping up the crowd with his visceral celebrations, Stone has been the heart of this Vegas team.

William Karlsson may not be the 40-goal scorer he was in his first season with Vegas, but he’s turned into a wicked two-way force and maintained his more-than-capable goal-scoring ability. His 10 goals are tied for third in the playoffs, and he was an integral piece in shutting down opposing teams' top players with his speed and motor. Karlsson was the “McDavid Stopper” they needed in their second-round matchup with Edmonton.

He’s had a bit of a quiet Cup final offensively, but he has a few games to turn that around. His defensive effort hasn’t lacked, and the one assist he has had was an absolute beauty. Karlsson is a long shot to win the playoff MVP, but his effort as one of the original ‘Golden Misfits’ won’t soon be forgotten if they win the Cup.