The Conn Smythe Trophy field became significantly smaller with the ousters of the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning this week. With the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks set to play for the Stanley Cup, we know the MVP will come from one of those two teams. However, determining just who that might be is going to be quite the challenge.
That's because each team has a number of players that have made strong cases as their team's most valuable player. The individual performances in the Stanley Cup Final should carry a lot of weight in this race, so here's another edition of the Conn Smythe Power Rankings to see where things stand heading into the final series.
1. Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks: For the Sharks, it really is a pick 'em situation. They're putting up gaudy offensive numbers and dominating the opposition. Their captain has been leading the charge in the goal department with 13. It's not just that he's scored so many goals though, a lot of them have been big goals in big moments. Nine of Pavelski's 13 goals either tied the game or gave them the lead. On four different occasions, Pavelski also scored the first goal of the game. The Sharks captain has been held off the score sheet in only four games of the 18 the Sharks have played. He had four goals over the last three games against the Blues.
2. Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks: The playoffs' leading point-producer with 24, Couture has already set and continues extending the Sharks record for points in a single postseason and leads all players with 16 assists. He also seems to bring his best in the biggest games for the Sharks. The second-line center put up three points in each of San Jose's three closeout games. He also has 11 points on San Jose's dominant power play.
3. Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins: What a story of vindication this could be. Kessel is leading the Penguins and sits tied for fifth in playoff scoring overall with 18 points. His nine goals also lead the team, with his next closest teammate having six. His speed and devastating shot make him a threat on most shifts and it's forced teams to split their attention away from Sidney Crosby at times. Along with Nick Bonino and Carl Hagelin, Kessel's HBK line has become a must-see attraction.
4. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks: The top scorer among defensemen in the playoffs, Burns already has 20 points. Victor Hedman was the only defenseman who was close to that with 14 this postseason. As the trigger man on the power play, Burns has four power-play goals and six overall. Averaging over 25 minutes a game, Burns has taken his talents to another level this season. There are few defensemen in the world that can impact a game like Burns can right now.
5. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins: Despite a lull in production in the middle of the playoffs, Crosby had a standout series against the Lightning. He's up to 15 points in the postseason and three of his five goals were game-winners in the last series. Meanwhile, Crosby still commands the attention of opposing teams' top defenders and continues to show signs of dominance with impressive possession numbers.
6. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins: Aside from the suspension and some ill-advised penalties, Letang's performance on the ice has been nothing short of brilliant in a really tough situation. Letang is averaging nearly 29 minutes a game and continues to be dominant in puck possession despite opposing teams continually keying on him. His offensive numbers have been fine with 10 points in 17 games. However, with Trevor Daley out for the remainder of the playoffs, Letang's workload has increased. It hasn't seemed to bug him a bit. He does everything the Penguins need him to and more as they fight some of their depth concerns on the back end.
7. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks: At 36 years old, Thornton has looked as dominant as ever throughout the 2015-16 season. He averaged over a point-per-game during the regular season and is doing the same in the playoffs. He continues to be one of the best setup men in the game today and has 15 assists to show for it. He's just behind teammate Logan Couture in that category. He may no longer wear the C, but Thornton has looked like a leader in this Penguins run.
8. Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins: The talented young netminder has been exceptional for the Penguins. Newly 22, he's already compiled more playoff starts than he has regular season starts and now has more wins, too. He is 11-4 in 15 starts since taking over the team's net in Game 3 of the first round. He's had it since, save for Mike Sullivan's decision to give Marc-Andre Fleury a start (to poor results) in the middle of the Eastern Conference finals. Murray has a .924 save percentage and 2.22 goals-against average. He looks to follow in the footsteps of such rookie goalies as Cam Ward, Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden to come in and lead his team to the Stanley Cup at a young age.
