Conn Smythe Rankings: West hoarding top candidates

We're down to the final four in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the race for the Conn Smythe has narrowed significantly.

Most of the strongest candidates will battle in the Western Conference Final, which should be an outstanding series. The Panthers and Hurricanes are succeeding on the strength of contributions throughout the lineup, making it tough to identify standout performers.

Without further ado, here's where things stand as we embark on Round 3.

5. Evan Bouchard, Oilers

Previous: Unranked

Bouchard is the most viable defenseman up for the award right now, though standing out on an Oilers team rife with Conn Smythe candidates won't be easy. Bouchard leads all playoff blue-liners in points and shots while tied for the top spot in goals. His defensive deficiencies are well publicized to this point in his career, but Edmonton surrendered only two five-on-five goals with Bouchard on the ice in Round 2 against Vegas - a significant improvement from a chaotic series against the Kings. He also paces all defenders this postseason with 13 takeaways.

Another traditional knock on Bouchard is that he's a power-play merchant. However, nine of his 12 points in the playoffs are at even strength. The Oilers' man advantage isn't clicking like normal, but Bouchard is still finding ways to tremendously impact his club's overall success.

4. Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes

Previous: 5

The Hurricanes steamrolled their Metropolitan Division adversaries en route to the Eastern Conference Final, with Andersen's play through nine contests a big reason. He's been the best goalie in the playoffs, leading his peers in each statistic above while losing only two games.

Carolina's top scorers this postseason are Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho, each with a modest 10 points. It's not surprising to see the Hurricanes succeed by committee, but the club hasn't benefited from goaltending anywhere close to this level in the playoffs during its current era of success. If Andersen stays hot, it's difficult to envision any team beating Carolina four times.

3. Leon Draisaitl, Oilers

Previous: 3

Draisaitl's up to third in playoff scoring after notching six points against Vegas, including his second overtime winner of the postseason. He's also producing outstanding underlying numbers and ranks second among all remaining forwards in takeaways and ice time.

The only factor hurting Draisaitl's Conn Smythe candidacy is no fault of his own. It's just that his rather talented captain is doing everything he's doing, but just a little bit better. If the Oilers go where they went last year, or perhaps one win farther, it'll be fascinating to see which of their two stars deserves the playoff MVP more.

2. Mikko Rantanen, Stars

Previous: 1

Rantanen holds a two-point lead atop the playoff scoring race, but he's behind our No. 1 candidate on a per-game basis and in even-strength production. While the Stars winger started Round 2 with three-point efforts in Games 1 and 3, he had only one point the rest of the way and was held off the scoresheet for the final two contests against the Jets.

It would be unfair to assume the way Rantanen produced at the end of Round 1 and into Round 2 was sustainable, but the brief decline was enough to drop him a spot in our rankings with margins this thin. The 28-year-old still has a great chance to bring home the playoff MVP, and he can increase his odds if he plays a part in eliminating his two closest competitors in the Western Conference Final.

1. Connor McDavid, Oilers

Previous: 2

McDavid didn't light up the second round but still registered five points in five games as the Oilers impressively dispatched the Golden Knights. Although Edmonton got to the Western Conference Final on the strength of contributions throughout the lineup, the team recorded 61.56% of expected goals and 62.23% of shot attempts with McDavid on the ice at five-on-five in Round 2.

McDavid leads the playoffs in even-strength points and is first among players left with 1.55 points per game. Already one of the most prolific postseason producers in NHL history, McDavid is adding to his legend with stellar all-around play and a singular focus on avenging last year's defeat in the Stanley Cup Final. His testy answers about Stuart Skinner's play and the Oilers' ability to defend following the second-round win illustrated just how locked in he is, and it'll be a treat for the hockey world to see how far he can go this spring.

(Analytics sources: Evolving-Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)

Keep an eye on:

• Thomas Harley, Stars
• Jake Oettinger, Stars
• Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers
• Jaccob Slavin, Hurricanes