Jordan Staal didn’t just win the Conn Smythe Trophy — he came within four votes of one of the rarest honors in sports: a unanimous selection as playoff MVP. According to the Professional Hockey Writers Association, Staal received 17 of 21 first-place votes for the award, with the other four going to teammate Taylor Hall. Every single voter who picked Hall, however, ranked Staal second on their ballot.
That near-sweep is almost unheard of in recent NHL postseason history. The last unanimous Conn Smythe winner came in 2007, when Anaheim’s Scott Niedermayer swept all 21 ballots. Only a handful of players have done it since the award’s inception in 1965. Staal, despite a historically dominant final series, fell just short of that exclusive club.
The Performance That Demanded Attention
Staal’s postseason run was nothing short of legendary. The Carolina captain registered six goals and one assist in the Stanley Cup Final alone against the Vegas Golden Knights — including at least one goal in each of the first five games of the series. He finished the playoffs with 14 goals and 17 assists overall, anchoring both ends of the ice for a Hurricanes team that hadn’t won a championship since 2006.
His impact went beyond the box score. According to reports from the PHWA voting breakdown, several voters noted that Staal’s two-way play, faceoff dominance, and physical presence set the tone for Carolina’s dramatic comeback after falling behind 2-1 in the series. The Hurricanes rallied to win three straight games, capping the title with a 3-0 shutout in Game 6 in Vegas.
Why Hall Got Love
Taylor Hall’s four first-place votes speak to his own stellar run. The 32-year-old left wing collected 9 goals and 14 assists across the playoffs, including two game-winning goals in the Final. Hall’s speed and shot creation gave Carolina a secondary scoring threat that opponents couldn’t ignore.
Still, the voting consensus was clear: Staal was the engine. Fans online noted the unusual symmetry of Hall’s supporters all placing Staal second — a sign that even those who chose Hall acknowledged Staal’s candidacy as nearly non-negotiable. The team has not confirmed any internal conversations about the vote, but the result underscores how close Staal came to etching his name alongside Niedermayer in Conn Smythe lore.
What This Means for Staal’s Legacy
At 36, Staal now has a championship, a Conn Smythe, and a place among the most respected captains of his generation. The near-unanimous vote only reinforces the perception that he was the clear heartbeat of the run. In an era where playoff MVP voting often splits among stars, Staal’s 81% of first-place votes is both rare and telling.
The story may lack the drama of a controversial ballot, but the gap between 17 and 21 first-place votes represents something significant — respect so widespread that four voters felt compelled to recognize a different dimension of the Hurricanes’ success, even as Staal stood above them all.
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