It’s been a roller-coaster ride for Conn Smythe odds throughout the Stanley Cup Final, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise considering the nature in which the Edmonton Oilers rallied to force a Game 7.
In the end, Connor McDavid took home the award, and bettors who backed the generational talent when the Oilers were down 3-0 made a killing; McDavid was +1700 at the time. By comparison, his odds heading into Game 7 ranged between -2500 and -3000.
McDavid was favored to win regardless of who won. FanDuel offered a pair of Conn Smythe specials showing just how confident they were he’d take it home. Florida winning the Stanley Cup and McDavid winning the award was -105, while any player other than him winning it was +1000.
The Oilers superstar set an NHL postseason record with 34 assists. His 42 points were fourth-most in playoff history behind Wayne Gretzky's 47 in 1984-85, Mario Lemieux's 44 in 1990-91 and Gretzky's 43 in 1987-88.
McDavid entered rarified air by winning the Conn Smythe despite his team losing in the Stanley Cup Final. He became only the sixth player to do so, and the first since Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguere in 2003. He's also only the second skater to win it in a losing effort, joining the Philadelphia Flyers' Reggie Leach in 1975-76.
Sportsbooks took a hit with McDavid taking home the award, as he had the second-highest ticket percentage (17.8%) and handle percentage (23.3%), according to BetMGM, of those playing in the Stanley Cup Final. Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was the only player with more liability, as he had 17.9% and 23.3%, respectively.
It actually appeared Bobrovsky winning the award was fait accompli when Florida took a 3-0 series lead. He’d dominated all postseason, and that continued over the first three games when he limited Edmonton to only four goals. He was an overwhelming -470 favorite to win the Conn Smythe but gave up 12 goals over the next three games. As a result, he was +5500 to win the award heading into Game 7, which was third behind teammate Aleksander Barkov (+1100).
Things were actually a near toss-up late in the Panthers' 2-1 Game 7 win. With Bobrovsky stonewalling the Oilers and McDavid blanked, the Oilers' star was -175 in the final minutes at FanDuel while Bobrovsky was +110.
Nonetheless, as commissioner Gary Bettman explained, the award is for the most valuable player in the entire postseason, which is why McDavid took home the Conn Smythe in the end.
