Which Player Has Been the Most Valuable During The Stanley Cup?

There are different rules in the playoffs. We erect monuments for men that, for often less than a quarter of the regular season, perform above their career standards. The list of Conn Smythe winners, is a perfect example of that. It’s not always the best player that takes home the playoff most valuable player award, just the most timely player.

There’s something to be said about timing in sports. A disappearing act, with precise timing, can cost an athlete dearly. Conversely, when it counts, whether it be an increased luck factor, something that can’t be empirically measured, or just a different emotional level, a career can be made in the playoffs.

Look no further than a player like Cam Ward, who, despite being decidedly mediocre on a yearly basis, took home the Conn Smythe trophy as a rookie. He has been back to the playoffs once, and makes, on average, $6.3 million, annually.

This year, the Conn Smythe race, in a proverbial sense, is a crowded field.

Now, most NHL players remain entirely focused on winning the Stanley Cup and nothing else. But sure, there’s no denying that individual positive reinforcement is wonderful.

Justin Williams, one of the players whose name has been discussed as a possible winner, due to his ability to score some incredibly timely goals, acknowledged what an honor it would be, but did slightly dismiss the trophy.

“I mean, that’s an award that a lot of NHLers obviously aspire to have,” he told the media after practice, between game three and game four. “But at the same time when you’re presented with it, I think a lot of guys just want to put it aside and look to the big jug. That’s pretty much how I can explain it.”

He added, “I mean, to be even mentioned with these big guys in that conversation is awesome. But, hey, the big one is what matters. Yeah, I want to taste it again.”

It’s not Williams’ award to win, however, as at least two of his teammates are right up against him for the honor.

Anze Kopitar, the King’s top-line center and the epitome of a 200-foot player, is the player most deserving at this point in time. He has, with ease, matched up consistently against some of the most talented lines in the NHL. He has bested some of the NHL’s best centers and still managed to tally over a point per game, without a really inflated shooting percentage. His shooting percentage, is, in fact, approximately 3 percent lower in these playoffs.

Kopitar, has a plus four penalty drawn to penalty taken ratio and has played more than a third of his team’s PK time.

The other, obvious deserving candidate at this point, is Drew Doughty, the 24-year-old defenseman, whose game has almost no holes.

Like Kopitar, Doughty is dangerous where ever he is on the ice. He can skate, his hands are like a craft forward, he deftly manages the ice, and his vision is probably his best asset of all. His talent was obvious in the first game of the series, when he slid the puck through his legs and still showed tremendous patience to beat New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

In even strength situations, Los Angeles skaters have attempted almost 54 percent of shots when he’s on the ice. That is, despite playing tough minutes against two of the toughest possession teams in the game in the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks. His contributions have been nothing short of tremendous.

Then of course, there’s Williams.

The narrative has seemingly written it self. He’s been a “big game player,” and a “Game Seven superstar,” nicknames that have been, right now, arbitrarily assigned to him.

Or maybe it’s just that we haven’t been paying close enough attention to Williams outside of this sacred realm of “clutch” moments in a game. Maybe, all along, Williams has been a pretty tremendous player, whose career flies under the radar during the regular season.

One thing’s for sure, his teammates greatly appreciate his contributions on the ice.

“One word that comes to mind is how competitive he is,” his teammate Jarret Stoll said. “The type of mentality he brings. He’s a very fiery guy. You can see how much he cares, how much he loves his teammates and the game of hockey. He wants to compete so hard, so bad. Whatever it takes kind of scenario, you see that.”

Williams, is at a point per game in these playoffs, despite getting less minutes than both Kopitar and Doughty. Like the other two, his shot attempt differential percentage is over 50 percent at even strength in the playoffs.

While it’s really only a three-horse race at this point, a longer series could change the field just slightly. Marian Gaborik, for example, has been scoring at a tremendous pace so far in the playoffs, skating on the top line. He is probably just slightly behind his teammates at this point. Gaborik, along with Jeff Carter, another skilled goal hawk for the Kings, could work their way back into the conversation if they are afforded the opportunity to compile a few more goals. With the way the series has gone, they likely will not get that opportunity.

It would be remiss to mention, at time of writing this, the series is not over and there is still a chance, albeit a small, historic chance, that the Rangers could make a shocking comeback and win the series in seven games. If such a scenario were to happen, the award would undoubtedly go to Lundqvist. The Swedish-born goaltender has been unequivocally the best player on the New York Rangers and the only one that has performed with any consistency.

In the all-the-more-likely scenario that the Kings wrap this series up in the next couple of games, the award voters will have to make a difficult decision between three of the Los Angeles Kings most talented. Of course, as they players have noted, that trophy will soon be discarded for a much more precious piece of metal.