The Washington Capitals have an opportunity to put their recent playoff failures behind them by winning the Stanley Cup. For the Vegas Golden Knights, the opportunity is there to become the first expansion team in the history of the major professional sports to win a championship. BetDSI has posted its updated odds for who the likely playoff MVP will be. Keep in mind that whichever team wins the Stanley Cup will likely have major ramifications on the outcome of this decision. Here is a look at the four best bets to win the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP.
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals +100
A generational scorer by any measure, Ovechkin will look to cement his career legacy by adding the one trophy that he has never won in the Stanley Cup. The nine-time 40-goal scorer and seven-time 50-goal scorer has led the way for Washington this postseason with an NHL-leading 14 goals this postseason. Ovechkin has also chipped in two game-winning goals and a total of 25 points. If the Capitals go on to win it all, it would be difficult to overlook Ovechkin as the obvious favorite to win the Conn Smythe trophy.
Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights +250
If the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup, Fleury is the no-brainer to win the Conn Smythe trophy. The veteran goaltender has been nothing short of exceptional since arriving from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the offseason and he has played an integral role in Vegas making it as far as they have. Fleury leads all goaltenders that made it past the opening round with a 1.95 goals against average and a .937 save percentage. Simply put, Flueyr has been the Golden Knights best player this postseason and should be in line for playoff MVP honors.
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals +275
It’s hard to imagine that a goaltender that lost his starting job heading in to the playoffs has turned things around so much that he is now among the favorites to win the Conn Smythe trophy. However, that is the case with Holtby. The veteran netminder opened the playoffs on the bench behind Philipp Grubauer but was given a second opportunity in the first round and hasn’t looked back since. Holtby has produced a 2.13 goals against average and a .922 save percentage while winning 14 of his 21 games this postseason. If he steals the show while leading Washington to a Stanley Cup win over these final couple of games, it could be Holtby that steals the Conn Smythe trophy as well in the process.
Evgeni Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals +800
Kuznetsov is considered a long shot to win the Conn Smythe at +800 odds. That said, a strong finish to the Stanley Cup Final could be enough to elevate him to playoff MVP for the Capitals. Kuznetsov leads Washington with 27 points in 22 games this postseason including two game-winning goals. It would certainly be hard to overlook Ovechkin as playoff MVP for Washington right now. That said, a strong enough finish could push Kuznetsov over the top as a dark horse Conn Smythe candidate if the Capitals end up winning the Stanley Cup.
