When Sidney Crosby was named the winner of the Conn Smythe trophy moments after the Pittsburgh Penguins had secured their fourth Stanley Cup victory last night over the San Jose Sharks, it was the name most people expected.
Understandable, considering Crosby’s effort throughout the playoffs and, in particular, his dazzling performance in Sunday’s Cup-clinching victory in San Jose. It could be argued that Crosby’s effort in that Game 6 against the Sharks alone was enough to secure the award given to the playoff MVP.
Sure, there had been some talk of Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh’s top playoff point-getter getting the trophy or even Matt Murray joining Cam Ward and the legendary Patrick Roy as rookie goalies to take home the Conn Smythe.
Crosby, Kessel and Murray were fabulous in the 2016 Stanley Cup run — but none of them were the team’s playoff MVP.
That player was defenseman Kris Letang.
When talking about the MVP, Letang is the obvious choice for a number of reasons. For one, for all the factors that contributed to the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup, the team’s defensive play might have been the biggest.
Highlighted by the incredible work of Letang, Pittsburgh’s defense was able to suffocate some of the most potent offenses in the league and ended the playoffs with a goals against average of 2.21. In the Cup finals, despite of a lack of name recognition compared to the Sharks — who boasted a defensive group that included all-stars Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brent Burns — the Penguins’ blue-liners — led by Letang — were simply better.
Letang also led the Penguins in ice time, averaging 28:51 minutes per game, a truly astounding number that bested Crosby by nearly nine full minutes. The only other defenseman who averaged over 20 minutes in the finals was Brian Dumoulin (21:31).
The next closest? Ben Lovejoy’s 17:46 average minutes of ice time per game.
To say that the Penguins relied heavily on Letang would be an understatement. Not only did he play lights-out defense, he was also a deadly threat on offense, tallying 15 points in the playoffs. Letang was, quite arguably, the most irreplaceable piece in the championship puzzle.
That’s no knock on Kessel, but is it that much of a stretch to say he might not have even been the best player on his own line in the playoffs? Anyone who watched the contributions of Nick Bonino as the center on the “HBK” line might argue Kessel wasn’t.
And what about Murray? As good as he was stepping in for an injured Marc-Andre Fleury in net, is it that much of a stretch to think Fleury could have gotten the job done if Murray was out?
Maybe, maybe not, but it’s up for debate.
I’m not sure the same could have been said for Letang, whose game-winning goal in the Stanley Cup clincher was just one of many crucial plays made by the Penguins’ best defenseman.
It’s fair to say trying to replace Crosby might be just as difficult, but Crosby wasn’t Lemieux-like in the 2016 playoffs. In fact, ever since the NHL started officially tracked playoff plus/minus in 1984, only two players have won the Conn Smythe with a minus rating: Chicago Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews in 2010 (-1 rating) and Crosby this year with a -2.
Additionally, Crosby’s 19-point total tied Patrick Kane (2013) for the fewest points by a Conn Smythe-winning forward since Bob Gainey won the award with 16 points in 1979. For comparison, Crosby tallied 31 points during Pittsburgh’s 2009 Cup run that included 15 goals — yet he didn’t win the Conn Smythe (Evgeni Malkin did.)
Ultimately, the choice of Crosby probably had as much to do with rewarding the game’s best player as it did with his performance in the playoffs. Considering all he’s been through since he last hoisted the Cup in 2009, it’s hard to criticize the choice.
Just don’t try to convince me that Letang wasn’t every bit as deserving and, arguably, even more valuable.
Image credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
