Conn Smythe Trophy 2016: Ranking Top Candidates After Round 1 of NHL Playoffs

The second round of the NHL postseason has begun, with the league's Elite Eight established after an exciting opening round that cut the crop of 16 teams in half.

There were plenty of strategic switches in goal that panned out and some clutch performances from superstar skaters to help the winners advance and keep themselves in Stanley Cup contention. To that end, we will talk about some of the early candidates for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. 

It's early, but based on the way these guys rose to the challenge during the first round, it's safe to assume a handful of the 20 members on this list will be among those on the shortlist as things progress.

These selections are made with both the value to their teams and how their play in the first round ranked against their peers.

Click ahead to see who has impressed so far.

20-16: Phil Kessel to Alex Pietrangelo

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20. Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins: Phil Kessel continues to show he's a strong playoff performer. He has three goals and six points through five games, and all three of his goals have been on the power play. He's a key to the Pittsburgh Penguins special teams unit's success and has 16 goals and 27 points in 27 career playoff games.

19. John Carlson, Washington Capitals: John Carlson is the Washington Capitals' top power-play quarterback, scoring three times on the man advantage and finishing the first round joint-second on the team's list of point producers behind only Nicklas Backstrom. He had as many goals as Alex Ovechkin (three) and six points in six games. He also averaged almost 25 minutes per game against the Philadelphia Flyers, with significant time on the penalty kill as well.

18. Shea Weber, Nashville Predators: Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators was key to slamming the door on the Anaheim Ducks, shutting down Ryan Getzlaf as much as anyone can and provided key offense of his own with a pair of goals and five points in the seven games, including the game-winner in Game 2 in Anaheim.

17. Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins: Rookie Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray was great down the stretch in the regular season and returned from a concussion in Game 3 to remain undefeated through three games to help knock out the New York Rangers. That was with the pressure of watching Henrik Lundqvist at the other end of the ice. Not bad for a 21-year-old. He looks like a star in the making.

16. Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues: One play summed up Alex Pietrangelo's importance in the St. Louis Blues' first-round victory. He was defending the puck-carrier in the dying seconds of the Game 7 win and went step for step with a Chicago Blackhawks forward before getting his stick in the shooting/passing lane to knock it away and help the Blues regain possession. His positioning and defending are elite. And he added a goal and six points as a bonus.

15-11: Tyler Johnson to Alex Ovechkin

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15. Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning: Tyler Johnson has proved to be an explosive playoff performer again this spring with a pair of goals and seven points in five games to help his Tampa Bay Lightning eliminate the Detroit Red Wings for a second straight postseason. He had four points in Game 2 alone and was part of one of the most dangerous lines of the first round alongside Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn.

14. Jason Spezza, Dallas Stars: With Tyler Seguin out, Jason Spezza has jumped into an even more important scoring role for the Dallas Stars, and he didn't disappoint with four goals and nine points in six games. He is tied for second in points with John Tavares behind teammate Jamie Benn (10 points). Spezza had four points in the series-clinching game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

13. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins: Returning from injury to play the final four games of the short series against the New York Rangers, Evgeni Malkin provided the Pens with a full complement of stars, making matchups much more difficult. He also makes the power play one of the most frightening in the playoffs. He leads all players, with 1.75 points per game.

12. Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning: Ben Bishop went 4-1 with a .950 save percentage and 1.61 GAA for the Lightning in the first round against the Detroit Red Wings. Remember, we're ignoring the fact the second round started on Wednesday. Before then, the big-bodied backstop had kept backup Andrei Vasilevskiy at bay because of his consistent play. He was at his best in the elimination game, stopping all 34 pucks he faced.

11. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin will become the focus of Round 2 because of the fabricated but fantastic personal rivalry with Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He didn't have to carry the Caps through the first round but was a physical force who exhausted and intimidated Flyers defenders while also producing three goals and five points in six contests.

10. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues

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2016 Playoff Statistics: Seven games, four goals, two assists, six points, 17:02 ice time per game.

Why He's Here: Despite the controversy and friction over his ice time and deployment against the Chicago Blackhawks, detailed by Joe Pack of Sportsnet, the 24-year-old St. Louis Blues sniper Vladimir Tarasenko would have been tied for the NHL playoff lead in goals if not for a coach's challenge that reversed one of his tallies. Even without that marker, Tarasenko ranked 10th in goals per 60 minutes with 2.01. He may take short shifts, but he makes them count.

Looking Ahead: The Blues face the Dallas Stars in the next round and will rely heavily on Tarasenko's offensive abilities to keep pace with the team that produced the best goals-per-game average (3.23) in the regular season this year. Any feud between Tarasenko and coach Ken Hitchcock will need to be buried quickly.

9. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals

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2016 Playoff Statistics: Six games, two goals, five assists, seven points, one game-winner, 18:58 minutes per game.

Why He's Here: Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom scored the only goal in a 1-0 win in Game 6 to eliminate the Philadelphia Flyers and snap a 106-minute goal drought. He led the team in points and had four on the power play, which clicked on eight of its first 17 opportunities in the series.

Backstrom was second only to Alex Ovechkin among Caps forwards for minutes, and while fellow stud center Evgeny Kuznetsov struggled at even strength in the series (one point in the six contests), Backstrom was his typically dangerous self.

Looking Ahead: Backstrom will be relied upon to drive possession on the power play, which may be the key area of play against the Penguins. His ability to set up linemate Ovechkin is something the Pens will focus on in order to try and come away with a Round 2 series win.

8. Brian Elliott, St. Louis Blues

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2016 Playoff Statistics: Seven games, four wins, .929 save percentage, 2.40 goals-against average.

Why He's Here: No player was more important to the St. Louis Blues knocking out the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first round than Brian Elliott. His play—especially early in the series—gave the Blues the confidence they would not have to worry about poor goaltending this spring, which allowed them to focus on playing their style without distraction. They looked like a different team than the one that has struggled to get out of the first round the past few years.

Looking Ahead: His .929 save percentage may not be as high as the early goaltending leaders, but Elliott was facing the regular season's most dangerous playmaker in Patrick Kane. Now he goes against the NHL's top offense this season in the Dallas Stars. The pressure will be on, and if he shows early cracks, he could quickly fall in these rankings and potentially lose his spot as the starter to Jake Allen.

7. Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks

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2016 Playoff Statistics: Five games, five goals, one assist, six points, one game-winner, 20:20 average minutes per game.

Why He's Here: Joe Pavelski set the tone for the San Jose Sharks' series against the Los Angeles Kings, scoring his side's first goal and the winner in Game 1. He finished with the most tallies in the series (five) and is tied for the first-round lead with John Tavares and Nikita Kucherov. The first-year captain seems to have truly become the on-ice leader the Sharks needed to overcome an identity crisis.

Looking Ahead: The Nashville Predators boast one of the best top-four defensive groups in the league, so Pavelski may find he has less time with the puck in Round 2 than he did against the Kings. Still, his determination and ability to find space and get off a laser of a shot make him a quick-strike candidate on every shift.

6. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

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2016 Playoff Statistics: Five games, three goals, five assists, eight points, 20:14 minutes per game.

Why He's Here: In the three consecutive Pittsburgh Penguins wins to close out the five-game series victory against the New York Rangers, Sidney Crosby put up two goals and five points. He was an unstoppable force in the second half of the regular season, and that carried over into the playoffs. He led the Pens' star forwards in scoring and ice time.

Looking Ahead: An epic battle awaits between two of the league's biggest names. Crosby will be in the spotlight against his longtime rival Alex Ovechkin as the Penguins battle the Eastern Conference's top-seeded Washington Capitals in the second round. Crosby will need to shine for the Penguins to beat the Presidents' Trophy winners.

5. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

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2016 Playoff Statistics: Five games, two goals, six assists, eight points, 23:58 average minutes per game.

Why He's Here: Brent Burns was a beast for the San Jose Sharks in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. He set up three goals in the clincher—which put to bed the demons of past playoff failure for the Sharks against the Kings. The defenseman was by far the better player in a head-to-head battle with fellow potential Norris Trophy nominee Drew Doughty.

Looking Ahead: Burns will again be tested against elite defenders at the other end in Round 2, with the Nashville Predators' Shea Weber and Roman Josi among the best in the NHL. Burns' ability to create havoc in front of the net—and not his own—separated him from the pack this season and in the first round.

4. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

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2016 Playoff Statistics: Five games, five goals, three assists, eight points, three power-play goals, 18:46 minutes per game.

Why He's Here: In the absence of captain Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov has emerged as the Lightning's superstar forward. Paired with Tyler Johnson and a rotation on the left side, Kucherov drives the top line's production and sits tied for the lead in goals through the first round. The Bolts aren't as deep as they are with Stamkos in the lineup, and Kucherov is forced to face the toughest defensemen the opposition can ice but continues to thrive.

No player in the playoffs has as many multi-point games in the past two years as Kucherov's 10, including three in the first round against the Detroit Red Wings. He's proved to be an elite postseason performer. 

Looking Ahead: Kucherov will have his work cut out for him against an underrated New York Islanders defense in the second round, but he has the talent and determination to continue his rise as one of the premier playoff performers in the NHL.

3. Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals

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2016 Playoff Statistics: Six games, four wins, two losses, 0.84 goals-against average, .968 save percentage.

Why He's Here: If not for the spectacular goaltending of Michal Neuvirth in the final three games of the Washington Capitals' series against the Philadelphia Flyers, the focus would have been on Braden Holtby's impressive display. He stopped 149 of 154 shots and was by far his team's most reliable and consistent player. He didn't receive much in the way of goal support, either, especially at even strength.

Looking Ahead: No goaltender in the past 34 years has a better career save percentage in the playoffs than Holtby's .940. Against the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins—who boast Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel up front—he'll arguably face his toughest postseason career test yet. The Caps will need Holtby to be their MVP to make it to the Eastern Conference Final.

2. Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars

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2016 Playoff Statistics: Six games, four goals, six assists, 10 points, one game-winner, 20:05 average ice time.

Why He's Here: Despite missing his partner in crime, Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn was a dominant force in the series against the Minnesota Wild. And his offensive production at critical moments is a big reason why the Stars are still in action—their defense and goaltending is nowhere near the level of the talented forward group. Benn bookended the six games with identical goal and two-assist performances.

Looking Ahead: Benn's growth as a leader will both continue to evolve and be tested like never before against the St. Louis Blues—the team that finished second to the Stars in the Central Division standings. There may be no deeper group than the Blues in the Western Conference, and the Stars will look to Benn to produce and inspire.

1. John Tavares, New York Islanders

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2016 Playoff Statistics: Six games, five goals, four assists, nine points, one overtime winner, 25:16 minutes per game.

Why He's Here: New York Islanders star John Tavares had arguably the most impressive and tide-changing performance of the first round. Thanks in part to three overtime games in the series against the Florida Panthers, Tavares averaged more minutes (25:03) through the first round than any other NHL forward. In the clinching game, he scored the tying goal in the last minute of regulation and then the game-winner in the second overtime period.

Looking Ahead: Tavares helped his Islanders win the franchise's first playoff series since 1993. They made it to the conference final that season. If the Isles are going to beat last year's Stanley Cup Final runner-up, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and get back to the conference final 23 years later, they're going to do so on Tavares' shoulders.