How Connor McDavid Felt About Losing Cup, Winning Conn Smythe

The Oilers lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night, but their captain still got his hands on prestigious hardware.

Edmonton was not able to pull off a historic comeback on the NHL’s biggest stage. After initially trailing the Panthers 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Oilers stormed all the way back but fell 2-1 in the winner-take-all tilt at Amerant Bank Arena.

But before Aleksander Barkov skated the Cup and passed it off to his Florida teammates, McDavid was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. The three-time Hart Trophy winner understandably wasn’t elated about the honor, which is given to the best player of the entire postseason.

“Yeah, obviously, I guess it’s an honor,” McDavid told reporters, per ESPN. “With the names on that trophy. But … yeah.”

McDavid became only the sixth player in league history to claim the Conn Smythe Trophy without winning the Stanely Cup. But the 27-year-old was a borderline undeniable recipient, as his 42 points in the Oilers’ run were the fourth-most in a single postseason in NHL history.

The seven-time All-Star now will wind down in the offseason ahead of his 10th season in Edmonton. The Oilers currently are tied for the fourth-shortest odds at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the Cup in the 2024-25 campaign, and McDavid is a heavy betting favorite to win the Hart again next season.