Conn Smythe Trophy Rankings: Hintz leads pack with Tkachuk in tow
The first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs wasn't short on drama, that's for sure.
As the dust settles on a couple of major upsets (who didn't have Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak penciled in as a favorite?), it's time to spotlight the top five candidates to take home the hardware as postseason MVP with the second round on the way.
5. Akira Schmid
| GP | SV% | GAA | GSAx | GSAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 (4-1) | .951 | 1.38 | 5.71 | 6.14 |
Down 0-2 in their series against the New York Rangers, the New Jersey Devils were in need of a miracle.
That miracle arrived in 22-year-old Schmid, who took over the starting duties from the struggling Vitek Vanecek beginning in Game 3. The swap paid dividends for New Jersey as Schmid frankly played out of his mind to propel the Devils to the second round.
Schmid won his first three playoff contests in convincing fashion, surrendering just two goals on 82 shots in Games 3-5. He ran into some adversity when he allowed five goals on 29 shots in the Devils' Game 6 loss but rebounded in spectacular fashion with a 31-save shutout for the series-clinching victory.
Despite his inexperience, Schmid ranks inside the top two in save percentage, goals-against average, goals saved above expected, and goals saved above average in these playoffs. The poise he showed against the Rangers alone makes him worthy of a spot on these rankings.
4. Morgan Rielly
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 5 | 24:04 | 56.7 |
It's only fitting that the longest-tenured Toronto Maple Leafs player was crucial to the team breaking its 19-year playoff curse.
Rielly stepped up in each of Toronto's four wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The defenseman recorded four points in the Maple Leafs' Game 2 blowout, scored the overtime winner in Game 3 at Amalie Arena to give Toronto its first series lead, forced overtime in Game 4 with a late equalizer, and logged an assist on John Tavares' series-clincher in Game 6.
The Maple Leafs outscored the Lightning 14-4 with Rielly on the ice in all situations, which is great news for Toronto, seeing that he paced the team in ice time.
Rielly didn't lead the Leafs in points in the series - that honor unsurprisingly goes to star winger Mitch Marner - but there's something to be said for how he consistently came up in big moments to help his club finally get over the hump.
3. Leon Draisaitl
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 7 | 4 | 23:47 | 53 |
No one should be surprised by this, but Draisaitl has seven goals. Colorado Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen also hit the seven-goal mark, but he needed an extra game to do it.
Simply put, the Oilers ate the Kings alive whenever Draisaitl was on the ice, outscoring Los Angeles 19-7 in all situations. Edmonton scored 25 goals total in the series, meaning only six occurred with Draisaitl on the bench. That's impact.
Draisaitl was a ruiner of worlds last playoffs, too, but was hindered by a high ankle sprain for the majority of it. It'll be exciting to see what he can accomplish if he stays healthy throughout the Oilers' run, however long that will be.
The German wunderkind has seen more ice time than the two players ahead of him on this list, but their point totals coupled with their strong underlying numbers ultimately give them an edge ... for now.
2. Matthew Tkachuk
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 5 | 6 | 21:17 | 63.4 |
Tkachuk was a mainstay on our Hart Trophy rankings all season long and has continued his MVP-esque ways during the playoffs.
The talented agitator said it best after the Panthers took Game 5 over the Bruins when he sarcastically quipped, "We were supposed to get swept in this series, right?" After all, Florida was the David to Boston's Goliath in the first round.
The Cardiac Cats ultimately pulled off the upset of the Presidents' Trophy winners in seven games thanks in large part to Tkachuk's performance.
He paced the team with 11 points, six of which came during Florida's three straight wins to storm back from a 3-1 series deficit. Tkachuk scored the overtime winner in Game 5, logged three points during the Panthers' back-and-forth 7-5 victory in Game 6, and recorded an assist on Carter Verhaeghe's deciding goal in Game 7.
As head coach Paul Maurice so eloquently put it after Game 5, "That guy is a - and then you put a long string of profanity - gamer."
1. Roope Hintz
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 5 | 7 | 19:10 | 61.8 |
Hintz just might be the hottest player in the postseason right now.
With a league-leading 12 points in six games, the Dallas Stars center is averaging an outlandish two points per contest. Hintz was the Stars' fearless leader against the Minnesota Wild, recording a hat trick in Game 2 and pouring in seven points over his last three contests to eliminate Dallas' Central Division rivals.
No matter the on-ice situation, Hintz's team could count on him for some firepower. He scored twice at even strength, twice on the power play, and added a shorthanded tally for good measure. That's a major plus for the Stars, seeing as special teams can make or break a series.
The Stars outscored the Wild 14-2 with Hintz out there in all situations and controlled more than their fair share of the shot attempts (57%), shots (52.7%), and scoring chances (58.5%) at five-on-five.
Hintz has been everything the Stars need and more.
(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey)