Jordan Staal Takes Home The Conn Smythe As Playoff MVP

June 15, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

The Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup Champions once again for the first time in 20 years and a big part of it is due to the work done by captain Jordan Staal.

The 37-year-old veteran centerman has always been the heartbeat of the Canes, but he took everything to another level this postseason and as such, he was properly awarded the honor of winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.

Staal, who's the oldest player ever to earn the honor, was one of the most impactful players in the Stanley Cup Final.

The captain tied the record for longest goal streak to start a Final, scoring in each of the first five games of the series, and also became the oldest player to score at least six goals in a Stanley Cup Final.

Staal's six tallies also set a franchise record for goals in any series and his seven points in the Final were over half his total playoff production (8g, 12pts)

Even beyond the production though, Staal's value to the team was paramount.

As the shutdown centerman, Staal went toe-to-toe with some of the league's best and basically eliminated everyone he was matched up against.

Staal was out there for every situation: PK (where he led one of the NHL's best ever postseason penalty kills at 91.5%), PP (which went 31.6% in the Final), empty net situations, you name it, he was out there dominating.

He also was a monster in the faceoff dot as well, going 56.8% all postseason and a staggering 68% in the Final alone, the best marker in NHL history.

"It's an unbelievable ending to a great story," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour. "I'm just so proud of him and I'm proud that he was able to do that in front of the whole hockey world. Everyone got to see now what I've known forever. Not only what kind of player he is, but the leader he is too. We're not hoisting the Cup without him. It's just not even close. I'm glad for him, because I've seen this guy grind it out for 14 years and never waiver. It doesn't always work out, as we know, but it's nice to see the good guys get one."

"I'm happy I stuck around," Staal said. "I believed in the culture, I believed in what we were trying to build in Carolina. It's just an amazing feeling to be able to build something like [the Stanley Cup] and to top it all off with this. It's an absolute dream come true."