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It felt like a foregone conclusion that if the Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup, then Connor McDavid would win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.
McDavid spent the regular season rewriting the record books with 64 goals and 153 points in one of the most impressive individual performances since the days of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
McDavid is almost certain to be named the unanimous MVP in a few weeks.
That’s why a lot of sharp bettors around hockey suggested that instead of betting the Oilers (who were priced at +800 to lift the Cup before the postseason), you could get a little more value by backing McDavid to win the Conn Smythe at 12/1.
It’s a common betting strategy this time of year — there just are some players (Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets is another good example) who will almost certainly be named the playoff MVP if their respective team is the last one standing.
Last season, Igor Shesterkin was the most common example of this gambling tactic.
If the Rangers won it all, Shesterkin was a near-lock to be the reason why.
His odds to win the Conn Smythe were half the Rangers’ Stanley Cup price.
But Leon Draisaitl’s hot start to the Stanley Cup playoffs is giving everyone something to think about.
There’s obviously a long way to go in this postseason and the Oilers are tied 1-1 with the Los Angeles Kings in their best-of- seven series, but Draisaitl has five points (two goals, three assists) in the first two games of Round 1 and has been an absolute force so far.
McDavid was held off the scoresheet in Game 1 and notched one assist in Game 2.
Leon Draisaitl Getty Images
The Kings are doing everything they can to neutralize McDavid’s speed and ability to create scoring chances off the rush, and while that’s been frustrating McDavid and keeping him in check, the rest of the Oilers are getting more space.
Most notably, Draisaitl.
In all likelihood, if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, McDavid will be the Conn Smythe winner.
Edmonton relies so heavily on No. 97 to steer the ship that if he doesn’t get going, the team will likely run out of steam against elite opposition.
But what these first two games have reminded everyone is that Draisaitl isn’t your run-of-the-mill sidekick.
The 27-year-old German had 128 points this year and has notched 100 points in four of the last five campaigns and was playing at a 123-point pace in the 56-game 2020-21 season.
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In other words, Draisaitl’s track record is impressive enough that he could conceivably outproduce McDavid in an Oilers’ Stanley Cup run.
It’s unlikely, but it could happen.
Heck, he already has a four-point head start.
If he played for any other contender, Draisaitl’s first two performances in the tournament would have vaulted him to the top of the betting board as one of the favorites to win the Conn Smythe.
But the presence of McDavid is so daunting that Draisaitl’s odds currently sit at 30/1 (Caesars), making him well worth a sprinkle before Game 3.