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The Stanley Cup is the goal. The Conn Smythe is for the player who gets you there. Handed out to the postseason’s most valuable performer, it’s the award that often defines a legacy, representing the best individual performance across two months of the most demanding hockey of the year.
The field for this year’s postseason MVP features a few clear favorites at the top of the Conn Smythe odds, led by Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Frederik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Below, I’ll outline the current favorites and top contenders for the Conn Smythe Trophy, historical trends for the award, and provide my best bets as well as value picks for who will win the Conn Smythe 2026.
Conn Smythe Odds 2026: Current Favorites
| NHL 2026 Playoffs Conn Smythe Trophy Odds | |
| Player | Odds (BetOnline) |
| Nathan MacKinnon (COL) | +170 |
| Frederik Andersen (CAR) | +350 |
| Mitch Marner (VGK) | +1200 |
| Logan Stankoven (CAR) | +1400 |
| Taylor Hall (CAR) | +1400 |
| Jackson Blake (CAR) | +1600 |
| Cale Makar (COL) | +1800 |
| Jack Eichel (VGK) | +2500 |
It comes as no surprise that Nathan MacKinnon (+170) leads the 2026 Conn Smythe odds.
The Avalanche superstar is fresh off his first career Maurice “Rocket” Richard award as the league’s top goal scorer, and he’s also the betting favorite to walk away with the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s regular-season MVP.
Goaltender Frederik Andersen (+350) is a close second in the Conn Smythe Trophy race after leading the Hurricanes to a perfect 8-0 record through the first two rounds of the playoffs as they look to win their first Stanley Cup since 2006.
Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner (+1200) comes in as a distant third. He leads all players in scoring this postseason, but he and his team have a tall task in the Western Conference Final against the Cup favorite Avalanche.
How the Conn Smythe Is Won: Historical Trends
The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded to the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 1965, with 53 players winning it over the past six decades.
The award is almost always handed to a player or goaltender on the Stanley Cup-winning team. In fact, a member of the losing team in the Final has claimed the Conn Smythe Trophy only six times, with the most recent instance coming in 2024 when Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid won after putting up a whopping 42 points in 25 games.
Forwards account for just over half of all Conn Smythe winners, with centers claiming the award 21 times and wingers winning 10 times (51%).
Goaltender is the second-most common position to win the Conn Smythe, taking home the hardware 17 times (29%). However, Andrei Vasilevskiy (2021 w/ TBL) is the only netminder to be named playoff MVP in the past 13 postseasons.
Defensemen have won 12 times (20%), with Cale Makar being the most recent example in 2022 with the Avalanche.
Nathan MacKinnon (+170)
MacKinnon is the best player on the best team in the NHL, and his playoff numbers are making the Conn Smythe case on their own.
The Avalanche center has a team-leading 13 points in nine games this postseason, while his seven goals are two off the league lead. Entering the Conference Finals, MacKinnon’s 1.44 point-per-game rate is the third-best among all players still in the postseason.
After failing to find the score sheet in Colorado’s first two games against the Los Angeles Kings, MacKinnon has only gotten better as the playoffs have worn on. He has 12 points in his last six games, and at least one goal in each of those outings. Should he find the back of the net in Game 1 against the Golden Knights, he’ll tie the franchise record for longest goal streak in the playoffs.
Colorado won the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top team in the regular season, and the Avalanche remain the clear betting favorite to win the Stanley Cup. If everything goes according to plan, the Avs will win their second championship in five years, and MacKinnon will likely earn the Conn Smythe as their top player.
Frederik Andersen (+350)
While the Hurricanes have had a few standout performers this postseason, they’re generally a team that relies more on depth than pure star power. For that reason, it’s difficult to pick out just one player who should lead the team in Conn Smythe betting odds.
If there is one player who’s making a strong case, though, it’s Andersen.
The Hurricanes’ goaltender has backstopped his team to a perfect 8-0 start through two rounds while leading the league in save percentage (.950), goals against average (1.12), and shutouts (2).
Andersen’s stats currently put him in the top five all-time for goalie performance through eight-plus games in a single postseason. It remains to be seen if he can keep up this level of play through two more rounds, but if he can lead the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup in 20 years, he’ll likely take home the Conn Smythe.
Mitch Marner (+1200)
Marner was often maligned for his lackluster playoff performances in Toronto, but the Golden Knights forward has turned a new page in Vegas.
Marner leads all skaters with 18 points in 12 games this postseason, thanks to a sensational second round that included five goals and 11 points in six contests. He scored a hat trick in Game 3 against the Anaheim Ducks and helped the Golden Knights clinch the series in Game 6 with a highlight-reel between-the-legs goal.
The Golden Knights have their work cut out for them in the Western Conference Final against the Avalanche, but if they can get through to the Stanley Cup Final, it’ll likely be thanks to more Marner magic.
Best Bet: Conn Smythe Trophy 2026
MacKinnon is the best player on the best team in the NHL this year, so I have to go with the Avalanche star as my best bet for the Conn Smythe Trophy heading into the Conference Finals.
Despite finishing first in the league standings, the Avalanche had a difficult matchup against a star-studded Minnesota Wild squad in the second round, where they managed to finish off their Central Division rivals in just five games. Personally, I think the Golden Knights are a step down from the Wild in terms of competition, and the Avalanche look capable of punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final in four or five games.
Colorado went 2-0-1 against Vegas this past season, and the Avalanche have historically dominated this matchup, going 9-4-2 (.667 P%) in their regular-season meetings since 2021-22.
On paper, the Avs should cruise to the Stanley Cup Final and another championship while MacKinnon racks up plenty of points.
At +170, MacKinnon carries a 37% implied probability to take home the Conn Smythe. That number will shrink quickly once Colorado advances, so getting him now at plus money is the smart play.
- Best Bet: Nathan MacKinnon +170
Value Plays and Longshots
Carolina looks like a strong favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference, and I have my eyes on a couple of Hurricanes skaters that could be value plays to win the Conn Smythe.
Taylor Hall (+1400) has reinvented himself in Carolina, and the numbers he’s putting up this postseason demand serious attention. Hall won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s regular-season MVP in 2017-18 with the New Jersey Devils but battled injuries and inconsistency for years afterward.
The Hurricanes forward has found a new level in these playoffs, however, leading the club with 12 points in eight contests, while he’s tied for the league lead in points per game (1.50) among all skaters still playing.
Hall’s linemate, Logan Stankoven (+1400), is another interesting longshot pick. Stankoven tops Carolina with seven goals, having found the back of the net in six of eight games this postseason.
Stankoven is shooting 22.6%, which is more than double his career average and obviously unsustainable over the long term. However, the Stanley Cup (and Conn Smythe) are often won by the teams and players who get hot at the right time. Stankoven is the hottest scorer in the NHL right now, and the Conn Smythe has been won on runs like this before. If he sustains it through two more rounds, the award is very much in play.
Summary
We’re deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and several players such as Nathan MacKinnon, Frederik Andersen and Mitch Marner have already emerged as favorites in the Conn Smythe odds.
Two rounds remain, and the value will shift quickly as the bracket narrows. Get your bets in now before the odds tighten.
Stay up to date with all the latest hockey odds and predictions at GamblingNerd so you can bet on the NHL with confidence.
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