Stanley Cup Playoffs futures: Mikko Rantanen among best bets to win the 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy

Mikko Rantanen was a major contributor during the Colorado Avalanche’s run to the Stanley Cup title in 2022, registering 25 points in 20 games. The 29-year-old right wing has a solid chance to eclipse that postseason career-high point total during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 19 points in 13 contests as his Dallas Stars have reached the Western Conference Finals.

Rantanen began 2024-25 with the Avalanche before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in late January, as he was slated to become a free agent at the end of the season. Unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension with the Finnish star, Carolina shipped him to Dallas at the trade deadline after he notched only six points in 13 games with the club.

The Stars immediately signed Rantanen to an eight-year, $96 million extension and haven’t had any regrets. The two-time All-Star recorded 18 points in 20 regular-season contests and has been an offensive force in the playoffs, where he set an NHL postseason record by being involved in 13 consecutive Dallas goals.

Despite being the playoff leader in both points and goals (nine) after two rounds, Rantanen is not the favorite for the 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy according to the sportsbooks. That distinction belongs to 2024 winner Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, who trails Rantanen by two points with 17 and is first in the league with 14 assists.

The odds for McDavid, who became the sixth player in NHL history to receive the award as a member of the losing team of the Stanley Cup Final, to win it for the second straight time range from +350 to +380. The three-time Hart Trophy winner is looking to join Bernie Parent (1974-75), Mario Lemieux (1991-92) and Sidney Crosby (2016-17) as the only back-to-back recipients of the Conn Smythe.

Rantanen’s odds are as low as +400 at DraftKings and bet365, and as high as +480 at FanDuel. Odds for Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen are around +500, while Florida Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky fetches odds of around +800.

Since the Conn Smythe Trophy was first given out in 1965, centers have won the award 20 times, while goaltenders have taken the trophy on 17 occasions. Here are some players to consider for the 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy.

Best bets

Mikko Rantanen, Dallas Stars (+480, FanDuel)

Perhaps the fact Rantanen is not the favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the conference finals begin is because he has gone back-to-back games without a point for the first time since his first two contests of the postseason. However, he already has recorded two hat tricks in these playoffs, is one of five players with five multi-point performances and ranks sixth on the all-time postseason list with an average of 1.28 points per game, registering 120 in 94 contests. Yes, Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner is coming off back-to-back shutouts against the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Oilers allowed more than two goals only twice in their six-game triumph over Dallas in last year’s Western Conference Final. But the Stars didn’t have a player with the offensive ability possessed by Rantanen in that series and if he manages to help bring Skinner back down to earth, his chances for the Conn Smythe should rise.

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (+380, FanDuel)

I suggested everyone avoid backing McDavid for the Conn Smythe prior to the start of the postseason, mainly because I didn’t believe the Oilers would get through the first two rounds. They proved me wrong, and they did it without an otherworldly effort from McDavid. The 28-year-old superstar still leads the NHL with 14 assists and is tied for second with 17 points, but he has scored just one goal over his last eight games and hasn’t appeared to be that electrifying since notching seven points over the first three contests of Edmonton’s first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. In addition, he was kept off the scoresheet in the Oilers’ clinching victory over Vegas, marking just the second time this postseason he didn’t notch a point. However, McDavid undoubtedly is the best player on the planet and already has been the playoff scoring leader twice in his career, recording 33 points in only 16 games in 2022 and 42 in 25 contests last year. He also has recorded five multi-point performances in these playoffs and is third all-time with an average of 1.58 points per postseason contest. If he continues at that pace, the chances of Edmonton advancing and McDavid winning the Conn Smythe will be very good.

Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers (+900, DraftKings)

Bobrovsky guided the Panthers to their first Stanley Cup championship last year, and many believed he would take home the Conn Smythe. But his numbers weren’t staggering, as he finished fourth in goals-against average (2.32) and sixth in save percentage (.906). He was the only goaltender in the league to post two shutouts last postseason and he already has matched that total through two rounds this year. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner’s other stats are similar to the ones he had in 2024, as he is third in GAA (2.31) and seventh in SP (.901). He has followed a four-game stretch during which he allowed at least three goals by giving up two or fewer in each of his last four contests, permitting a total of four in that span. None of his teammates are having a monster postseason offensively, as eight different players have registered between 8-12 points so if the Panthers repeat as champions – and McDavid doesn’t erupt over the final two rounds to duplicate the feat he accomplished last year, Bobrovsky could add another item to his trophy case.