After a few seasons of the same players being in the playoff MVP chase, we now have a list of Conn Smythe Trophy candidates defined by some fresh faces.

It stands to reason, given all the team turnover in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but there’s a dearth of proven post-season talent when it comes to potential playoff MVPs.

With Jonathan Marchessault (a former Golden Knight who now plays for Nashville), Sam Bennett (a Florida Panthers whose team failed to make the playoffs) and Connor McDavid (bounced with the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1) all on the sidelines, not one Conn Smythe winner from the past three springs is still skating in Round 2.

Moreover, with Tampa Bay falling in seven games to the Montreal Canadiens, the only person left in the dance with a Smythe on his resume is Colorado’s Cale Makar. 

Just like the Cup itself, the pathway to a 2026 Conn Smythe feels about as open as it gets. And with so many signature performances in the first (and early second) round, there’s no shortage of players making a case for themselves as the field gets whittled down to eight squads.

So, with that in mind, here is our power ranking of a dozen playoff MVP candidates now that the first round is completely in the books. 

(Please note, this ranking is not taking into account how likely a player’s team is to make a deep run; it’s a list based on purely on how players have performed to this point.)

1. Logan Stankoven, Carolina Hurricanes

It’s not just that Stankoven is scoring; it’s that every goal he nets is an important one. The 23-year-old has scored the first goal of the game in four of Carolina’s five playoff outings. In the one contest he didn’t — the Game 4 clincher in Ottawa — Stankoven scored the goal that put Carolina up for good against the Senators. Four of his six tallies have come at five-on-five. 

This has been a remarkable showing from the undersized centre.

2. Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild

Hughes had a signature performance in the Game 6 win that eliminated the Dallas Stars, notching two goals that included the opening strike and the game-winner. With three points in the zany 9-6 loss to Colorado on Sunday night, Hughes now leads the entire playoffs in scoring with 11 points and has more total time on ice than anyone in the derby. 

3. Jackson LaCombe, Anaheim Ducks 

LaCombe led all defencemen in scoring after the first round with nine points during Anaheim’s six-game win over Edmonton. He had terrific underlying numbers while facing Connor McDavid and leading the Ducks in ice time during the series. You get the sense this is the spring where the entire hockey world learns what those who watch LaCombe closely have been saying for a while: this is one of the best young blue-liners in the NHL.

4. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

Two classic Makar goals in Games 3 and 4 versus the Kings came at a point when things were very much in doubt. He scored twice in the rollicking 9-6 win over Minny to open Round 2, and his four goals — all of them scored at even strength — are the most by any defenceman in the post-season.

5. Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes

Andersen has played at least 25 career playoff games for each of the Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, and — get this — he has the exact same save percentage of .916 with all three clubs.

How’s that for consistency?

Of course, “consistent” is the last word we’ve come to associate with Andersen in the past couple years, as injuries have made him an unreliable member of the Canes.

That said, he’s reminding us what he’s capable of when healthy, throwing down a crazy .961 SP driven by two shutouts.

Over time, the 36-year-old Andersen has come to be viewed as a goalie who can play well in spurts with a limited workload. Well, Carolina has already provided him lots of rest by dusting Ottawa in four games, and if the Canes can advance past Philadelphia in, say, five, we’ll be seeing a well-rested Andersen in the Eastern Conference Final. 

5. Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights

Eichel was held off the scoresheet in Game 1 versus Utah, then had nine points in five games the rest of the way. He’s undeniably the straw that stirs the drink in Vegas, and his two-way excellence gets more and more apparent this time of year.

6. Jakub Dobes, Montreal Canadiens

Dobes was great for the duration of Montreal’s seven-game win over Tampa, but really stepped up as the set wore on. The rookie netminder posted a .961 SP from Game 5 on, including 32 saves in a 1-0, extra-time loss in Game 6 and 28 more in the decisive contest he stole his team in Tampa in Game 7. 

A freshman tender finding success in Montreal in the spring? You don’t say!

7. Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild

Sportsnet contributor Michael Amato may have put it best:

Among players still on a Cup quest, only Stankoven can match Boldy’s six goals. Boldy scored the vital OT winner to even the series with Dallas 2-2 in Game 4, found the net again in Game 5 and kicked in two ENGs in Game 6.

8. Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres

The one Sabres skater who entered the playoffs with all kinds of post-season experience is Alex Tuch, who led the squad with four goals in the first round. What a spring this could be for Tuch, wearing the uniform of the squad he grew up rooting for while the playoff-starved city goes nuts. Oh yeah, he’s also eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

9. Dan Vladar, Philadelphia Flyers

Vladar ended Round 1 with a .937 save percentage capped by a 42-save shutout in the 1-0 OT victory that propelled the Flyers past Pittsburgh, just when it appeared the Pens were poised to come back from an 0-3 hole and force Game 7. None of the Flyers seemed ready for what they got in Game 1 versus Carolina, but Vladar is Philly’s best hope to make it a series. 

10. Taylor Hall, Carolina Hurricanes

How can we not include the guy who has the highest points-per-game mark (1.60) of anybody still active in the playoffs? Stankoven has been getting lot of attention, and rightfully so, but it’s the entire Canes line of Stankoven between Hall and Jackson Blake that’s on fire.

With eight points, Hall has already matched his previous career high for a single post-season showing. 

11. Alex Lyon, Buffalo Sabres

Lyon did not enter the series with Boston until the third period of Game 2. Earlier in that contest, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed a dump-in from centre to elude him, sending Sabres supporters into an immediate state of fright over the goaltending.

Lyon was tremendous the rest of the way for Buffalo, posting a .955 save percentage and grabbing three wins for the team. 

12. Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres

The first playoff game in Buffalo since 2011 was trending bummer for most of the night, until Thompson scored twice in less than four minutes to dig the Sabres out of a 2-0 hole and send them on the way to a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Bruins.

Thompson didn’t score again in Round 1, but he still finished plus-7 with seven points in the six-game set.