This year's playoffs proved a hard battle for both final teams. Yet after taking down three teams in the Western Conference, the Edmonton Oilers could not pull off a reverse sweep and lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
However, despite the Florida Panthers' success in bringing home their first-ever Stanley Cup, the title of playoffs MVP went elsewhere. Sergei Bobrovsky was an early pick for the Conn Smythe trophy, but it instead went to Connor McDavid who scored the most points throughout the entire 2023-24 postseason, becoming the second-ever forward on the losing team to do so.
Despite this distinct honor, Connor McDavid snubbed Gary Bettman and the league by not coming back out onto the ice. Though we cannot know his state of mind at the time, many believed it was part of an emotional response to a losing game.
Regardless of his absence on the ice for the award, Connor McDavid had an undeniably powerful and historic season. With the level of play he showed this postseason, it will likely not be too long before he finally gets his team the Stanley Cup.
