The Stanley Cup Final is upon us, and we have the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers facing off to bring home the prized trophy. In this final prediction piece, voters for The Hockey Writers cast their vote on who will win the series, who will win the Conn Smythe, who will be the second player to receive the Cup and a look at some records being chased.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers Predictions
Edmonton Oilers: 62.4% of votes
Florida Panthers: 37.6%% of votes
Related: 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Hub
The best offense the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs has to offer against the most physical team, the Oilers and Panthers are bound to make for a very entertaining series. It is hard to bet against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard right now, but with the Oilers taking 62.4 percent of votes, the writers have picked them as the 2024 Stanley Cup Champions.
EDM in 6 Games: 31.3%
EDM in 7 Games: 25%
FLA in 7 Games: 18.8%
FLA in 6 Games: 18.8%
A series going at least six games feels inevitable. These two teams are willing to battle through whatever it takes. Both teams aren’t afraid to get into scrums, have good shutdown forwards, and can play great offense. It should be a tight series.
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner
Connor McDavid: 43.8%
Aleksander Barkov: 18.8%
Leon Draisaitl: 12.5%
Other players to receive one-plus votes: Carter Verhaeghe, Matthew Tkachuk, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
McDavid is the clear runaway winner here. Chasing his first Stanley Cup isn’t something he needs to be a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer, but it would sure be nice. Adding a Conn Smythe Trophy on top of that would be no surprise, but he isn’t guaranteed it yet. Aleksander Barkov is a lot closer to it than some people may think. His shut-down abilities have been far and away the best the playoffs have had to offer. In nearly 90 minutes of ice time against Artemi Panarin, David Pastrnak, and Nikita Kucherov, that trio only managed to score one goal with Barkov on the ice. McDavid is the next test.
Second Player to Raise Cup (Oilers)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: 37.5%
Leon Draisaitl: 31.3%
Corey Perry: 12.5%
Adam Henrique: 12.5%
Evander Kane: 6.3%
The hand-off of the Stanley Cup usually goes to one of two players, especially with the group winning their first Cup together. The captain, in this case, McDavid, will typically pass it to the longest-tenured member of the team, which in this case is Nugent-Hopkins, and that makes a ton of sense. Draisaitl coming up second is no surprise either with how big of a piece he is to the club. Having Perry and Henrique next up respects the fact that they are league veterans, which is often the other option the captain has. Perry already has a Cup, so Henrique being on the list makes sense, and would be no surprise if he is next up.
Second Player to Raise Cup (Panthers)
Kyle Okposo: 31.3%
Matthew Tkachuk: 31.3%
Sergei Bobrovsky: 18.8%
Aaron Ekblad: 12.5%
Paul Maurice: 6.3%
In this case, Okposo leading the way as a way to respect his career makes sense. Tkachuk being tied there as one of their most important players, the same as Draisaitl for the Oilers, is fair too. Ekblad being the longest-tenured and such an important part of the last decade for the Panthers surprisingly doesn’t have him higher on the list. Maurice getting a vote is unique, but makes a world of sense. He is second all-time in games coached in the regular season, and combined with his playoff games, he has stood on the bench for almost 2,000 games and has yet to earn his ring.
Will Zach Hyman Break the Single-Playoff Goal Record?
No: 50%
Yes: 37.5%
Tie Record: 12.5%
Hyman currently has 14 goals this postseason, and the record, held by Reggie Leech and Jari Kurri, is 19. Hyman will need five goals to tie the record, and six to pass. It should be close, but that is a tall task.
Will Connor McDavid Break the Single-Playoff Assist Record?
Yes: 87.5%
No: 12.5%
This one feels a lot more achievable. McDavid currently has 26 assists in these playoffs, which is incredible, and is five short of the record, and six away from passing Wayne Gretzky’s 31 assists. McDavid is certainly on pace to do it, and unless Barkov and Bobrovsky become god-like and completely shut him down, McDavid will likely get this one.
Will Evan Bouchard Break the Single-Playoff Points Record by a Defenseman?
No: 87.5%
Tie: 6.3%
Yes: 6.3%
Bouchard currently has 27 points in these playoffs and is 11 shy of the record Paul Coffey set. He is just shy of the current pace, but with the offense these Oilers have available, would anybody really be surprised to see him do it?
What’s Coming After the Stanley Cup Final
After the Stanley Cup Final, the next prediction review will be looking back at all of the preseason predictions made by the writers on the website, from the division standings to the awards, and all the way through the playoffs.
