Tkachuk of Panthers, Hintz of Stars among playoff MVPs through 2nd round

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

But as we have reached the midpoint of the postseason, with the conference finals on the horizon, it is the perfect time to handicap the MVP field.

We decided to ask NHL.com staff writers who have covered at least one playoff series this season for their choice for most valuable player.

Here, in alphabetical order, are their selections:

Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Florida Panthers

When the Panthers signed Bobrovsky to a seven-year contract July 1, 2019, this is exactly what they imagined he would do for them -- bring them deep into the postseason while providing steady and sometimes spectacular goaltending. It just hadn't exactly gone that way until this season. But after a stumble in Game 4 of the first round against the Boston Bruins, when he allowed five goals on 30 shots in a 6-2 loss in his first start in almost a month, Bobrovsky has been the backbone of the surprising run the Panthers are on. He rebounded in Game 5 and made 44 saves in a 4-3 overtime win and the run started. Against the firepower of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, Bobrovsky allowed exactly two goals against in each of the five games, stonewalling the Maple Leafs' offensive stars. His stats (2.82 goals-against average, .918 save percentage in 10 games) might not make you jump out of your seat. But for the Panthers, they have been MVP-caliber. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Jack Eichel, F, Vegas Golden Knights

Remember the 2015 NHL Draft when Jack Eichel was selected No. 2 by the Buffalo Sabres and he was overshadowed by the hype of forward Connor McDavid going No. 1 to the Edmonton Oilers? It seems Eichel has played second fiddle to McDavid for much of his NHL career. Then came the Western Conference Second Round, and all that changed. McDavid was his usual offense-producing machine, with 10 points (five goals, five assists) in the six-game series. But the Oilers still lost the best-of-7 series to the Vegas Golden Knights, and Eichel was a big reason why. You want a difference-maker? Consider that all of Eichel's nine points (three goals, six assists) came in the Golden Knights' four wins, underscoring how he left his mark on the series. In fact, playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time, he leads Vegas with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 11 playoff games. More importantly, the Golden Knights are 7-0 when he has a point during the postseason, 1-3 when he doesn't. If that's not the definition of an MVP, I don't know what is. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Miro Heiskanen, D, Dallas Stars

Heiskanen doesn't have the points to match some of the other Conn Smythe candidates, but he is doing everything for the Stars. Just look at Game 7 of the second round against the Kraken; the defenseman played a game-high 32:07, his third game with 31 or more minutes of ice time in the series. He had six hits and two blocked shots. He attempted six shots, but had five of them blocked and one missed the net. The Stars won 2-1 and they wouldn't have without Heiskanen. They wouldn't be anywhere near the Western Conference Final without him. Case in point: Heiskanen took a puck off the face early in the second period of Game 3 against Seattle and had to leave the ice. Jordan Eberle scored when he was down. Dallas fell apart when he left, allowing Seattle to score three more times in less than five minutes and lost 7-2. Heiskanen was back for Game 4. He played 31:02 and the Stars won 6-3. They won three of the final four games with him. He's that important. He has no goals and nine assists in 13 games, and he's easily been Dallas' most important player and arguably the best player in the playoffs anywhere. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Roope Hintz, F, Dallas Stars

I didn't really need another game to give Hintz my mid-postseason MVP vote, but it sure didn't hurt. The Stars forward once again made an impact, scoring the opening goal in what was a tight Game 7. Hintz now has nine goals in the playoffs, second only to Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who scored 13 through the first two rounds. Hintz can become the first Stars player since Joe Pavelski in 2019-20 (13) to reach double-digits in goals in a single postseason, and the seventh since they relocated to Dallas from Minnesota in 1993. Hintz is fast, strong on the puck and in Game 7 he was showing off the best of his assets, the defensive ability to take the puck away from an opposing defenseman at the offensive blue line and then finish for the score. There are a few players on Stars who are deserving of mention here, but Hintz is the pick for me. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Brandon Montour, D, Florida Panthers

All the other defensemen can get the accolades, Montour will just keep putting up points and helping his team win in so many ways. Montour is on the ice for more than 25 minutes per game (25:56), and Heiskanen (28:15) is the only defensemen left in the playoffs that plays more than him. He has scored six goals, more than any other defenseman in the playoffs, and has nine points, the same total as Heiskanen, to tie for the lead among still-active defensemen. Montour's 45 shots on goal lead defenseman in the postseason. Simply, he drives the Florida offense in ways no other defenseman does. He is irreplaceable for the Panthers, and hopefully more people realize that as he takes his place on the biggest stage of his NHL career. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Jaccob Slavin, D, Carolina Hurricanes

When it comes to consistency, steadiness and sacrifice, there are few better in the game today. Slavin was a tower of strength against the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Second Round. The Hurricanes were plus-25 in 5-on-5 shot attempts when Slavin was on the ice, and he led Carolina with a plus-12 rating in five games. In a first-round series win against the New York Islanders, the 29-year-old led Carolina defensemen with a plus-2 even-strength goal differential; the other five defensemen to play in the six games were in the negative. Slavin is second on the Hurricanes in average ice time (22:10), behind defense partner Brent Burns (23:55), is tied with defenseman Brett Pesce for the Hurricanes lead with 19 blocked shots and is tied with forward Sebastian Aho for the Carolina lead with 14 takeaways. Slavin has been an invaluable asset this postseason. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

Mark Stone, F, Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights captain willed his team to victory in the first two rounds, playing with a sore back after undergoing surgery Jan. 31. Stone missed the final 39 games of the regular season but returned for the first game of the playoffs. He has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 11 playoff games and did an outstanding job defensively against the Oilers, helping limit Connor McDavid to three points (one goals, two assists) at 5-on-5. Stone had four points (two goals, two assists) in six games against Edmonton, including the tying goal in the third period of Game 5, which proved to be the turning point of the series. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

Matthew Tkachuk, F, Florida Panthers

A finalist for the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player during the regular season, Tkachuk also has been extremely valuable for the Panthers during their run to the Eastern Conference Final by providing offensive production -- a Panthers-best 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 12 games -- and some much-needed swagger. When Florida was swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the playoffs last season, it almost showed too much respect to the team that had won the Stanley Cup the previous two seasons. Tkachuk, who was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames during the offseason, made sure that didn't happen again this season against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in the first round and the heavily-favored Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, defiantly leading Florida to prove those who doubt them wrong with his in-your-face playing style. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer