The debate surrounding the 2026 Conn Smythe Trophy has been one of the biggest talking points coming out of the Stanley Cup Final.
While the Carolina Hurricanes ultimately captured the Stanley Cup with a Game 6 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, many fans and analysts continued to debate whether playoff scoring leader Mitch Marner deserved stronger consideration for the award.
Now, Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk has shared his thoughts on the discussion.
Matthew Tkachuk Delivers Firm Verdict on Mitch Marner’s Conn Smythe Loss
The Conn Smythe Trophy ultimately went to Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal, who was named playoff MVP after leading his team to a Stanley Cup championship.
At 37 years old, Staal became the oldest player in NHL history to win the award. He delivered one of the best playoff performances of his career, recording eight goals and 12 points in 19 games while scoring in five consecutive Stanley Cup Final contests.
His impact was recognized by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, which awarded him 17 of the 21 first-place votes and 97 total voting points.
Speaking on his Wingmen podcast, Matthew Tkachuk explained why he believed Staal was the deserving winner. “When your job’s not to score, and then you score every game, that is just such an added bonus…. He would have been who I would have said should have easily won the Conn Smythe for that team,” Tkachuk said.
Tkachuk pointed to Staal’s leadership, depth scoring, and ability to deliver in key moments as major reasons why Carolina captured the Stanley Cup.
“You can’t forget what Marner did and some of these guys in Vegas, but I think the Conn Smythe should always go to the guy on the winning team. That’s just kind of how it should be. I mean, unless you’re McDavid that one year who was just out of this world,” he added.
Why Mitch Marner’s Strong Case Fell Short
Marner certainly made things interesting.
He finished the playoffs as the NHL’s leading scorer with 29 points and appeared to be the clear Conn Smythe frontrunner through the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final.
During that stretch, he tallied three goals and four assists, highlighted by a natural hat trick in Game 3 that broke a 69-year-old Stanley Cup Final record previously held by Maurice Richard.
But the series took a turn after that.
The Hurricanes adjusted their game plan and did an excellent job shutting down Vegas’ top offensive threats. Marner was limited to just one assist over the final three games, struggled to generate offense on the power play, and posted a minus-5 rating as the Golden Knights lost three straight games and the Stanley Cup.
Even though he led all players in playoff scoring, Marner received just six points in Conn Smythe voting, showing how much Vegas’ late-series collapse influenced the final results.
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Despite Marner’s strong playoff performance, Tkachuk believes the Conn Smythe should usually go to a player from the Stanley Cup-winning team. Only six players in NHL history have won it on the losing side, the latest, of course, being Connor McDavid.
