Conn Smythe Discussion Thread

[SENStastic]

If Vegas wins, then we all know who it's going to be. The fairly tale is just writing itself at this point.

It's going to be so very juicy, Toronto media is gonna be quite the spectacle this summer when Marner brings home the cup. I can't wait.

 

[Fatass]

If Vegas wins, then we all know who it's going to be. The fairly tale is just writing itself at this point.

It's going to be so very juicy, Toronto media is gonna be quite the spectacle this summer when Marner brings home the cup. I can't wait.

Didn’t Kessel eat hotdogs from the Cup as a jab at TO media? Does Marner have that sense of humour?

 

[SENStastic]

Didn’t Kessel eat hotdogs from the Cup as a jab at TO media? Does Marner have that sense of humour?

Not sure if Marner is bold enough to rub it in their faces like that, but who knows, he's a Knight now, and they clearly have something down there in their water. He might come back a whole new person with a completely different attitude.

But even if he doesn't, I fully expect TO media to manufacture some sort of controversy and make up stories out of thin air to whip everyone up. It's what they do best, I'm counting on it.

 

[Crosby2010]

Marner is a lock if Vegas wins. I am not sure we are in the territory of Marner winning it in a losing cause, but there hasn't been a Cane who has stepped up either. So you never know.

 

[LaCarriere]

At this point I think we're dangerously close to seeing Marner win it regardless, even if the Canes come back and win the series. I think a couple more goals out of him and the league won't have a choice, even if they don't want to repeat the McDavid sitaution.

Marner did feed off the first two rounds and kinda disappeared against the Avs (still with 3A in 4G), but the hatty last night puts him at 3G and 4A in 3 games in the finals. The reality is he's been a big factor in 3 of the 4 rounds Vegas has played in, and in the one round where the Avs didn't let him score, he was still almost a ppg player in a short 4 game series.

Hart kinda fell off a cliff finally in this round, if Vegas wins the next 2-3 games in an uneventful fasion, it's easily Marner's.

 

[LaCarriere]

Marner is a lock if Vegas wins. I am not sure we are in the territory of Marner winning it in a losing cause, but there hasn't been a Cane who has stepped up either. So you never know.

I think the league wants to avoid another McDavid situation where the winner doesn't accept the award, but Marner (and the Canes) are sure making it difficult for the league to avoid said situation, even if the Canes do come back and win.

I don't see how at the current pace the league could give the award to Hall or Andersen with a straight face. Somebody would have to step up huge for the Canes in all 3 wins that they need. Or if it goes to a game 7 overtime and the Canes win, they could throw it at whoever scored the winner and maybe get away with not giving it to Marner, but that's about it.

 

[BallardEra]

 

[LaCarriere]

McDavid and Draisaitl both put up 33 points last season and didn't win it - Sam Bennett won it with 22 points instead because his team won.

Standard for winning it if the team loses would be 40+ points.

If the Canes win that means Hall will have played either 19 or 20 games (assuming he doesn't get injured). He's currently sitting at 17P in 16G, so there's a realistic shot that he doesn't even get to 20 points if the Canes win. When is the last time a skater won with less than 20 points?

If the Canes win I'm assuming whoever they start in goal will stand on their head - so the league could go the safe route and hand it to the Canes goalie, but realstically Marner, with last nights hat-trick, is dangerously close to being the rightful winner no matter what.

That said I think the reason McDavid/Drai didn't win last year and Bennett did was because the league probably made an internal decision that the awarad is going to somebody on the cup winning team no matter what, after giving it to McDavid in 2024 in a losing effort and him not accepting the trophy.

 

[Felidae]

View attachment 1251124

Sometimes all it takes is one really good run.

Went from 63 points in 70 games, an 18 point drop off from his regular season 82 game career average, to above a PPG in his PO career.

Reminds me of what happened with Tkachuk going from the flames to his first PO run with Florida, and ofc he followed it up the next 2 seasons.

 

[Fatass]

View attachment 1251124

Even when losing in the playoffs with the Leafs Marner was still close to a ppg while being a plus at evens. He’s good.

 

[sbhatt]

Marner should absolutely rub it in Toronto's face if they win. Maybe a video on social media of him polishing the cup with a square of one of his old Leafs jersey (implying that they are now nothing but cleaning rags). Kessel had the right idea.

 

[Czechboy]

If Vegas wins (and I'm neutral here and would be happy for Hall and the Canes too!)

My dream

Marner wins Conn Smyth
Marner and Kessel go to that hot dog stand in Toronto and have a few pics taken of them eating hot dogs with Stanley in downtown TO in a viral moment

I would really enjoy that. Pass the mustard Phil!

 

[JianYang]

I thought Matthews, Nylander and Marner were the answer to a cup. after all these years I honestly can't stand them anymore.

throughout my life all the losing years with the Leafs I never really disliked anyone on the Leafs other than maybe Aki Berg lol but this core man, I mean Ill defend them on here still but they drive me crazy,

after they leave I dont care if they win or not, I hate more so that every fan of all 31 other teams will rub it in our faces till we die, got 1st overall pick and I'm more so alive as a fan than I have been for the past 3 or so years, well I was pretty hype when they for ROR and Luke Schenn.

good on Marner though but sick of hearing how Leafs shouldnt have let him go, been 9 years.... he wasnt playing like this

They never really built the roster around their core properly. But part of the problem was just unfortunate environmental factors. A global pandemic really handcuffed them at the worst time of their genesis.

However, they also made their own miscalculations. Grabbing tavares was unnecessary as they were addressing a position that was already solidified in the organization. The opportunity cost of this signing was crippling both from an internal salary structure standpoint and the lack of flexibility it provided to address other needs.

Teams that go all the way typically have the ability (and depth) to win any kind of game you throw at them whether its a speed, and skill game, a backyard brawl, or a systematic chess match. Those Toronto teams never really had that completeness to them.

 

[daver]

Marner should absolutely rub it in Toronto's face if they win. Maybe a video on social media of him polishing the cup with a square of one of his old Leafs jersey (implying that they are now nothing but cleaning rags). Kessel had the right idea.

Hot dogs in the Cup?

 

[Crocket]

If Vegas, Marner or Hart

If Canes Staal or Ghost

 

[TheDoldrums]

Marner should absolutely rub it in Toronto's face if they win. Maybe a video on social media of him polishing the cup with a square of one of his old Leafs jersey (implying that they are now nothing but cleaning rags). Kessel had the right idea.

the difference is the Leafs wanted to get rid of Kessel (prudent as they needed to rebuild, but regardless). The Leafs wanted to get rid of Kadri too.

whereas the Leafs offered Marner a contract bigger than the one he signed in Vegas and he rejected it. So I don't think the "rubbing it in" to the organization really makes as much sense, they wanted to keep him.

 

[GKJ]

Marner might have this on lock even if Vegas loses.

 

[End on a Hinote]

If Marner wins both the Cup and the Smythe, it will just cement my personal belief on how much playing on a Canadian team holds back on a player's potential.

 

[holy]

If Marner wins both the Cup and the Smythe, it will just cement my personal belief on how much playing on a Canadian team holds back on a player's potential.

Every Canadian team as of late that hasn't succeeded had some glaring holes. Not saying you ever get rid of them, but you don't see the massive obvious issues with a team like VGK or the Canes.

 

[Mulletman]

If the Canes win that means Hall will have played either 19 or 20 games (assuming he doesn't get injured). He's currently sitting at 17P in 16G, so there's a realistic shot that he doesn't even get to 20 points if the Canes win. When is the last time a skater won with less than 20 points?

The golden boy Sidney Crosby won it back in 2016 with just 19 points. Absolutely robbed the late great Phil Kessel of his Conn Smythe and to this day Crosby has never apologized for winning it or even admitted that Kessel should've won it...

 

[WetcoastOrca]

the difference is the Leafs wanted to get rid of Kessel (prudent as they needed to rebuild, but regardless). The Leafs wanted to get rid of Kadri too.

whereas the Leafs offered Marner a contract bigger than the one he signed in Vegas and he rejected it. So I don't think the "rubbing it in" to the organization really makes as much sense, they wanted to keep him.

Is that why they asked him to waive his no trade clause for a trade for Rantanen?
Doesn’t sound like they wanted to keep him.

 

[TheDoldrums]

Is that why they asked him to waive his no trade clause for a trade for Rantanen?
Doesn’t sound like they wanted to keep him.

...that was after he rejected their contract offer and didn't want to negotiate

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

The golden boy Sidney Crosby won it back in 2016 with just 19 points. Absolutely robbed the late great Phil Kessel of his Conn Smythe and to this day Crosby has never apologized for winning it or even admitted that Kessel should've won it...

Phil died? I had not heard that. Sad.

 

[HavingACow4Cowan]

Marner should absolutely rub it in Toronto's face if they win. Maybe a video on social media of him polishing the cup with a square of one of his old Leafs jersey (implying that they are now nothing but cleaning rags). Kessel had the right idea.

I don't really get this line of thinking.

It's pretty standard for fans to want more from their top players in the playoffs when they under-perform. If anything, the fact that he's doing what he's doing tells you that he had it in him to do better. Some fans went overboard, sure, but sports has its idiots. They don't represent an entire fan base.

Anyway, how many of the new Marner fans are genuinely happy for him versus just dumping on a team/organization they dislike?

I liked him for years when he was a Leaf but thought he was under-performing in the playoffs in recent years. After the game last night, I said he played the best game I've seen him play. That's being honest and giving credit when it is deserved. Being a fan of a team or player doesn't necessitate saying the team or player is always awesome. You want to hold good players to high standards. If someone like Caufield had the kind of playoff run that he had this year five or six years in a row, some Montreal fans would definitely lose their patience and criticize him and/or want to move on.

The focus should really be on what Marner is doing and on his team, not on Toronto. Sure, some Leafs fans are obsessed, but Marner himself also should move on.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

...that was after he rejected their contract offer and didn't want to negotiate

That’s certainly one interpretation.
When you ask a player to waive you shouldn’t be surprised when they decide they don’t want to re-sign. Bridge was burned by the Leafs.