As the Stanley Cup Final begins Tuesday, the Hurricanes’ dominant run and the Golden Knights’ timely surge have staffers split on who wins the series—and even more so on who should take home the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.
Tuesday marks the start of the Stanley Cup Final. and the two teams facing off couldn’t feel more different in momentum and expectation. The Carolina Hurricanes are back in the final for the first time since 2006 after rolling through the postseason with a 12-1 record. The Vegas Golden Knights. meanwhile. have punched their ticket for the third time since joining the league in 2017—after surprising the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche with a sweep in the Western Conference final.
The questions now aren’t just about who lifts the Cup. The bigger debate among NHL staff is also who, if anyone, will be the clearest story of this postseason—specifically in Conn Smythe Trophy terms.
Carolina’s win path showed up over and over in staff predictions. Fluto Shinzawa picked the Hurricanes in four. saying the team has no weaknesses and attacks “in wave after wave.” Corey Pronman went with Carolina in six. pointing to Carolina’s depth and blue line being better. with Vegas potentially stronger among its top forwards. Julian McKenzie also chose Carolina in six. expecting Carolina’s defense to suffocate opponents again after shutting down teams through the playoffs.
Scott Wheeler. Murat Ates. Arpon Basu. Kevin Kurz. and Joshua Kloke all landed on Carolina in six as well. though their reasoning differed: Wheeler described Carolina as overwhelming opponents “like they’ve overwhelmed virtually everyone all year. ” while Ates emphasized Carolina’s suffocating forecheck and its 12-1-0 playoff record. Basu framed it as a grind that grows harder for Vegas as the pace rises. and Kurz leaned into Carolina’s roll—plus the idea that what looked like a question mark headed into the playoffs. goaltending. has become a strength.
For some, the pick wasn’t about what’s already been proven. Chris Johnston called the Hurricanes healthy. rested. and relentless—picking Carolina in six—and Michael Russo argued the timing fits: Carolina had a season full of injuries yet “never got derailed” the way Florida. New Jersey. and Toronto did. and now looks like a two-way team built for “fast. flawless hockey up and down their lineup.” Mark Lazerus added a caution about volatility at goalie. but still chose Carolina in six. describing Carolina as less likely than Colorado to get “too cute” with the puck.
There were dissenting votes. Aaron Portzline said he was far more confident it goes seven games than he was about the winner. picking Carolina in seven while describing Vegas as big. heavy. and resilient. Josh Yohe also chose Carolina in seven. calling it a 50/50 series but expecting Carolina’s team speed and relentless 200-foot attack to wear down the Golden Knights. Shayna Goldman likewise picked Carolina in seven. acknowledging how hard it is to bet against Vegas after taking over play in the Western Conference final. while still arguing Carolina has adjusted well and can disrupt.
Why not Vegas, then?. Several staffers pointed to a different kind of postseason advantage: the Golden Knights’ ability to flip games when it matters. Jesse Granger picked Vegas in six. saying Carolina had been the better team much of the season—something that was also said about Colorado—but Vegas “finds ways to win when it shouldn’t. ” and grows more comfortable as stakes rise. Sean McIndoe framed the choice in a broader mood, picking Vegas in six. Peter Baugh went with Vegas in seven. citing Vegas peaking at the right time and the combination of depth and star power that’s difficult to beat.
The Conn Smythe Trophy debate—who should be the playoff MVP—only sharpened the split.
From Carolina. the names that kept coming up were tightly linked to the team’s identity: defense. goaltending. and relentless line play. On the Hurricanes’ side, McKenzie picked “Hall” as the one to watch, saying his big-game performances will continue. Ates similarly pointed to the broader picture. saying Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner would each have a case. but not enough to ignore Hall’s torrid postseason for the Cup-winning team.
Frederik Andersen was also a central candidate. Shinzawa said Jarvis would deliver in big games. Basu leaned toward goaltender Frederik Andersen as a natural pick but argued that Stankoven’s pivoting line—pairing Hall and Jackson Blake—makes Carolina a matchup nightmare. Kurz acknowledged Andersen might be the frontrunner but stuck with Jackson Blake. describing him as the key cog on Carolina’s unstoppable line and second on the Hurricanes in scoring. with a gritty style meant to matter against Vegas.
Johnston and Russo both leaned into Andersen’s statistical and historical place in the postseason. Johnston said Andersen is only the third goalie ever to start a postseason with a 12-1 record and argued a solid Cup Final performance would put him ahead. Russo said Andersen has allowed 20 goals in 13 games and “exorcised” previous playoff demons. while still noting it’s difficult to isolate one MVP among Hall. Stankoven. or Blake on Carolina’s “incredibly efficient line.”.
Lazerus, Yohe, Goldman, and Luszczyszyn offered differing views from there. Lazerus said Andersen has been great but feels like the moment when the “other shoe” drops. while Hall has been driving force and “lion in winter” makes for a story. Yohe also described the difficulty of isolating one skater. calling Carolina a balanced machine that makes the award hard to narrow. Goldman made a case for Miller over Hall by arguing Miller’s two-way play—breakout passes that activate the rush game and clutch defensive saves—has been a difference-maker. Luszczyszyn gave the credit to Miller as well. calling him a five-on-five beast and emphasizing Carolina’s dominance in his minutes.
On the Golden Knights’ side, the Conn Smythe picture carried the weight of redemption and narrative momentum. From Vegas, Baugh pointed to Marner, arguing he’s controlled play and been strong defensively. Portzline also chose Marner. calling his postseason performance with Vegas—after “unfairly eating most of the blame” of Toronto’s postseason failures—a potential personal triumph.
Granger went with “Hart” if Vegas wins. saying it would set up a close race between Marner and Hart. with the deciding factor likely being which player’s Cup Final impact shows up more clearly—especially given Carolina’s high shot volume. McIndoe chose Marner. but also argued there is a stronger case for Pavel Dorofeyev. calling it unfortunate he lacks Marner’s narrative. McIndoe pointed to a sense that voters may already be leaning toward the redemption story if Vegas wins—and maybe even if they don’t.
The setup for the Final. then. is a collision of styles and timing: Carolina’s 12-1 run and defensive suffocation claims against Vegas’ history of turning series moments into inevitability. Starting Tuesday. the matchup will test not just who’s better—but who becomes the defining figure of the season’s last stretch. whether that’s in Carolina’s defense-first identity or in Vegas’ knack for winning when it doesn’t look like it should.
Stanley Cup Final Carolina Hurricanes Vegas Golden Knights Conn Smythe Trophy Frederik Andersen Mitch Marner Jack Eichel Jack Hughes Troy