Crosby, Kessel and several surprise choices among Top 5 Conn Smythe candidates
— -- PITTSBURGH -- Lord Stanley's famous silver cup will be in the building when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the San Jose Sharks for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals Thursday night. Whether the Cup gets out of its box that night is another story, but history suggests that at some point in the coming days the Penguins will be rewarded with their fourth Stanley Cup -- and with it, one of their players will be honored with the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs.
While there have been other difficult decisions over the past decade -- the Chicago Blackhawks' wins in 2010 and 2013 provided a stern challenge to voters, as did Anaheim Ducks' in 2007 -- this year's vote will be among the most challenging for the writers and hockey experts who determine the Conn Smythe winner.
The issue isn't a lack of worthy candidates. It's just the opposite. There are too many. The Penguins are the poster boys for the value of depth: Defenseman Ian Cole scored the first goal of Game 4 and became the 16th different Penguin to score during this playoff run.
Ten different players have scored game-winning goals this spring for Pittsburgh, and the heroes have ranged from the obvious -- such as Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel -- to the virtually unknown in rookies Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary and Matt Murray.
How will the MVP conundrum be resolved? Here's my take on it, with my top five candidates listed in reverse order (to keep the drama building to the end):
Nick Bonino: Yes, that's right -- Nick Bonino. If the Bonino- Carl Hagelin-Kessel forward unit has been Pittsburgh's most consistent trio throughout the playoffs, scoring 19 goals, then Bonino has emerged as the perfect, if unlikely, pivot for speedsters Hagelin and Kessel. He scored the overtime winner that eliminated the Washington Capitals in the second round and the winner in Game 1 of the finals. His 17 points have him tied with Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for second on the team in scoring this spring. Bonino, acquired last offseason from the Vancouver Canucks, has been a key part of a Pittsburgh penalty-killing unit that has stymied the powerful San Jose power play in the finals and allowed the Penguins to move to within one win of a championship.
Kris Letang: The lone star on a defensive corps that is getting it done by committee, Letang has been a workhorse, especially since Trevor Daley went down in the Eastern Conference finals with a broken ankle. Letang is averaging 28:50 a night in ice time and faces down opposing teams' top forward units every night. He has, on occasion, lost focus this spring and was suspended for a game during the second round for a needlessly dangerous hit on Washington's Marcus Johansson, and likely should have been suspended for whacking Viktor Stalberg in the face with his stick in the first round against the New York Rangers. Still, the Pens would be here if not for Letang's significant contributions.
Phil Kessel: There was quite a social-media storm of "Kessel for Conn Smythe" talk after he notched two more assists in Pittsburgh's 3-1 victory in Game 4. It's understandable. Kessel leads the Penguins with 21 points in 22 games. He has not gone more than two games without at least a point and he has gone two games without a point once. In short, he has proved to be a clutch performer whose two-way game has been underappreciated this spring. If there is a factor that could prevent Kessel from earning enough votes to win the Conn Smythe, it's that he does not kill penalties.
Matt Murray: Think Patrick Roy in 1986 or Ken Dryden in 1971 and you have an idea of the company that Murray will join if the Penguins close out the Sharks. Murray has won a league-best 14 postseason games and sports a .925 save percentage. Murray, who turned 22 right before the finals began, has been a rock this spring, going 5-0 in games after losses, including Monday's Game 4. The Penguins have done an excellent job of limiting the number of shots Murray has faced, but he has shown the kind of mental toughness normally associated with far more experienced netminders. His performance in Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference finals -- after he'd been lifted for Game 5 in favor of veteran Marc-Andre Fleury -- shows the kind of stuff from which Murray is made.
Sidney Crosby: In a crowded field, this is still a pretty clear choice. From the get-go, Crosby has set the tone for this Penguins team with his tireless commitment to detail. Although his point totals -- he has six goals and 17 points -- might not suggest the stuff of a playoffs MVP, you have to dig a little deeper to understand why he has been the best, most important player on this team.
While facing opposing teams' top players on a regular basis, Crosby might be playing the best two-way hockey of his career. Although he did go eight games without a goal this spring, Crosby rebounded to score his first playoff overtime winner and, in fact, collected three game-winning goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference finals. He audibled in Game 2 of the finals to help set up Sheary's overtime winner and has, along with Matt Cullen, been Pittsburgh's most effective faceoff man. I'm guessing that if Crosby's teammates had a vote, this would be a landslide in favor of the Penguins' captain.
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