Tkachuk of Panthers, Draisaitl of Oilers among 1st-round playoff MVPs

The Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded annually to the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, won't be handed out until the conclusion of the postseason in June.

Why wait, though?

We decided to select the most valuable player for each of the eight teams that advanced to the second round.

To do so, we went to the experts, asking the NHL.com staff writer who covered each series to make the choice.

Here are their selections:

Carolina Hurricanes

Others had flashier numbers than Sebastian Aho, but with the key forwards the Hurricanes are missing, he was as important as any player toward his team advancing. After beginning the Eastern Conference First Round against the New York Islanders without Max Pacioretty (torn Achilles tendon) and Andrei Svechnikov (torn ACL), Carolina lost Teuvo Teravainen to a fractured hand in Game 2, leaving it without three of its top-six forwards. That didn't slow Aho, who almost willed the Hurricanes to victory while battling through the Islanders' grinding, physical game to finish with a series-high seven points (four goals, three assists). From his power-play goal 3:47 into the first period of a 2-1 win in Game 1 to his tying goal at 9:24 of the third period that forced overtime in a series-clinching 2-1 victory in Game 6, he was the best skater on either team. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

Dallas Stars

When one of your teammates compares you to the type of player you'd draw up in an EA Sports NHL game, you know you're doing something right. That's what Max Domi said of Roope Hintz, and the Stars forward put on quite a show. He leads all players with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in six games, one point ahead of Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers (seven goals, four assists), Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers (five goals, six assists) and Mitchell Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs (two goals nine assists). Is Hintz as well-known as those players? Probably not, but he should be. He's a dynamite player and earns first-round MVP honors from me. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Edmonton Oilers

Forward Leon Draisaitl scored timely goals through the entire series against the Los Angeles Kings, including two in the second period of Game 4 after the Oilers fell behind 3-0 in the first. Down 2-1 in the best-of-7 series, the Oilers were in a big hole and facing a possible elimination game upon returning home to Edmonton. But Draisaitl was able to bury two shots past Kings goalie Joonas Korpisalo to help the Oilers claw their way back in the game and tie it 3-3 with 11 seconds left in the second. The Oilers went on to win the game 5-4 in overtime and took control of the series. Draisaitl followed his Game 4 performance with a goal in Game 5 and another in the series-clinching win in Game 6. He had at least one point in all six games and scored a goal in five of them. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

RELATED: [Video: NHL Tonight discusses Aho stepping up in the playoffs]

Florida Panthers

This one is easy. When the Panthers were down 3-1 against the Boston Bruins, forward Matthew Tkachuk put the team on his back and essentially carried them into the second round in an all-time upset of the regular-season, record-setting Bruins. Tkachuk finished the series with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in seven games, managing to get under the skin of the Bruins and be scintillating offensively -- usually the preferred role of Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Tkachuk had eight points (four goals four assists) in the final four games of the series, including the overtime goal in Game 5 and a crucial game-tying third-period power-play goal in Game 6. As Panthers coach Paul Maurice put it, "That guy is a -- and then you put a long string of profanity -- gamer. Is he not a gamer?" In this series he was that and so much more, including MVP. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

New Jersey Devils

The series changed when the Devils inserted goalie Akira Schmid to start Game 3. Vitek Vanecek allowed nine goals in Games 1 and 2. Devils coach Lindy Ruff was quick to defend Vanecek, saying his decision to go to Schmid was not about the goaltending but more about the team not being good enough. But Schmid's poise, the calm he brings to the net, spread through the Devils in their 2-1 overtime win in Game 3, when he made 35 saves, including eight in overtime, before Dougie Hamilton scored at 11:36. The Devils' confidence grew with Schmid in net. They started to play more to their style, fast and dangerous. Schmid kept making saves, 22 on 23 shots in Game 4 followed by a 23-save shutout in Game 5. He struggled in Game 6, allowing five goals on 29 shots, but the 22-year-old rookie showed his resolve in Game 7, making 31 saves in a 4-0 win. Schmid was 4-1 with a 1.38 goals-against average, .951 save percentage and two shutouts in the first round. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Seattle Kraken

The upset of the Colorado Avalanche was a team effort offensively. Fifteen players scored a goal for the Kraken, and none had more than two. That makes the MVP choice easy. It's goalie Philipp Grubauer, who played for the Avalanche from 2018-21 and excelled against his former team. He seemed comfortable at Ball Arena, winning three games in Denver, and looked like he knew the tendencies of his old teammates at times. He had a 2.44 goals-against average and .926 save percentage, and with everything on the line in Game 7, he made 33 saves in a 2-1 win. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Toronto Maple Leafs

When you've finally won a Stanley Cup Playoff series for the first time in 19 years, the list of heroes is plentiful. Such is the case with the Maple Leafs, who eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the Eastern Conference First Round. Leading the pack is John Tavares, who scored in overtime to win Game 6. There was Auston Matthews, who led Toronto with five goals in the series. Mitchell Marner was Toronto's leading scorer with 11 points (two goals, nine assists). And goalie Ilya Samsonov came up huge in key moments and was 3-0 in overtime games. But series MVP? I'm going with defenseman Morgan Rielly, the longest-tenured player on the Maple Leafs (2013), who had eight points (three goals, five assists). With four assists in Game 2, the overtime goal in Game 3 and his third-period game-tying goal in Game 4, Rielly's fingerprints were all over this series.-- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Vegas Golden Knights

Forward Mark Stone changed the whole look of the Golden Knights when he returned in the first round after a three-month absence because of a back injury. He was the best player on the ice for either team after a tough Game 1 in which he understandably showed signs of rust. In the final four games of the series he had eight points (three goals, five assists), tied for the Vegas lead with Chandler Stephenson (four goals, four assists). And he was just as good defensively, forcing turnovers to fuel the Golden Knights' transition game. He was plus-8 in the final four games of the series.-- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial