The Carolina Hurricanes have rolled through the Stanley Cup Playoffs, going a remarkable 12-1 on their way to the Stanley Cup Final, where they will face the Vegas Golden Knights, who swept the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the West Final to reach their second Cup Final in four seasons.
Stanley Cup Final, Conn Smythe predictions for Hurricanes-Golden Knights by NHL.com
Writers split between Carolina, Vegas; Andersen, Marner, Eichel favorites for MVP
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It’s a matchup of two teams each on an absolute roll and a majority of NHL.com staff writers and editors believe Carolina will complete the journey and win the Cup.
Of the 15 staffers who made their picks, 10 believe Carolina will win. Of the 10, eight predict goalie Frederik Andersen will win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP, with forwards Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall each getting a vote.
On the Vegas side, four staffers predicted forward Mitch Marner would win the Conn Smythe, while one picked center Jack Eichel.
Here are their picks:
Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Conference finals record: 0-2
Overall record: 7-7
PICK: Hurricanes in 6
WHY: The Golden Knights might have vanquished the consensus pick to win the Stanley Cup this season in the Avalanche, but the Hurricanes have rolled over everyone in their path. And it hasn’t been all that challenging, really. Their smothering, frustrating forecheck has clamped down on all comers, with sweeps of the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers and a five-game win against the Montreal Canadiens. They’ve barely allowed anything to their opponents, with the exception of the six goals they gave up to Montreal in their sole loss, after an 11-day layoff. That won’t happen in this Final. I fully believe Vegas will be Carolina's biggest challenge yet, but with Andersen and the defense playing the way it is, the Hurricanes will finally, finally win that long-elusive Cup.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes
Brian Compton, managing editor
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 6-8
PICK: Hurricanes in 7
WHY: There seems to be a different vibe surrounding Carolina this postseason. The Hurricanes continue to toss the narrative regarding their prior premature exits and have steamrolled through the playoffs, led by Andersen and a suffocating system in front of him. Hall has been fantastic on each side of the ice and is thriving with Stankoven and Jackson Blake, forming what has been Carolina’s most consistent line throughout the postseason. Add that with the fact forward Nikolaj Ehlers averaged a point per game in the conference final, and the Hurricanes will hoist the Cup following what should be a fantastic series against the Golden Knights.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes
Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 9-5
PICK: Golden Knights in 6
WHY: Carolina looks like a machine. The Hurricanes are 12-1 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and their lone loss was due to rust after an 11-day break between rounds. They pressure all over the ice, pump pucks on net, allow few pucks to their net and are 12-1 when outshooting their opponents. But they had a relatively easy path to this point, and this is the first Cup Final for this group. Vegas has a core that won the Stanley Cup in 2023 and just swept Colorado, which won the Cup in 2022, was the top team in the regular season and was 8-1 entering the Western Conference Final. The Golden Knights are the type of team that can defeat the Hurricanes -- big, structured, tough at the net front on both ends, and opportunistic. They're comfortable playing from behind (six comeback wins, including four third-period comeback wins) and getting outshot (8-3 in that scenario), and they have the edge in high-end talent with Eichel and Marner.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Mitch Marner, Golden Knights
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William Douglas, staff writer
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 8-6
PICK: Golden Knights in 7
WHY: It’s hard to go against the Hurricanes with their suffocating, in-your-face forecheck that generates offense and Andersen’s Conn Smythe-level goaltending, but I’m going with Vegas. Marner looks like he’s on a mission to prove critics of his past playoff performances wrong, forward Pavel Dorofeyev has shown he’s a postseason prime-time player, and coach John Tortorella has whipped a team that was lackluster for most of the regular season into the beast that swept the NHL-leading Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. The Golden Knights have too much playoff experience and offensive depth to get frustrated by the Hurricanes' relentless style the way the Canadiens did in the Eastern Conference Final. But in the end, it will come down to goaltending, and I give the edge to Carter Hart.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Mitch Marner, Golden Knights
Tom Gulitti, senior writer
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 7-7
PICK: Hurricanes in 6
WHY: The Golden Knights, undoubtedly, will be the Hurricanes’ toughest test, but as captain Jordan Staal said, Carolina looks like “a machine” that can’t be stopped. The only thing that has slowed the Hurricanes through the first three rounds was an 11-day break following their second-round sweep. Carolina shook off the rust and a 6-2 loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final to steamroll through the next four games, winning by a combined 16-5. Having finally broken through to reach the Cup Final for the first time since winning their first championship in 2006, the Hurricanes will complete the quest they started when Rod Brind’Amour, captain of their 2006 team, became their coach eight years ago.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes
Pete Jensen, senior director, fantasy
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 8-6
PICK: Hurricanes in 6
WHY: Carolina has been the NHL’s gold standard in puck-possession dominance during Brind’Amour’s coaching era and enter the Cup Final with the best 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage and by far the best offensive zone time percentage during the 2026 playoffs. Finishers like Stankoven, a resurgent Hall and offseason addition Ehlers lead the Hurricanes’ balanced attack; while the Golden Knights stifled the Avalanche’s elite offense, they are being outshot on average this postseason. The X-factors for Carolina could be the Denmark-born duo of Ehlers and Andersen (58-36 record, .915 save percentage, eight shutouts in 98 postseason games), who is quietly putting together one of the most efficient playoff careers of the modern era.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes
Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 10-4
PICK: Hurricanes in 6
WHY: This Hurricanes team just feels like it has a way of exerting its will on the opposition in a way that leaves teams powerless to stop it. They consistently roll four lines and three defense pairs that play exactly the same way: Hard, quick and relentless. It feels like you almost have to execute perfectly for 60 minutes to beat them. And if a team is able to get through that fierce forecheck to have a chance in the offensive zone, Andersen has been nearly unbeatable. The Golden Knights will give it a chance, and their size and physicality should give them a chance of getting inside on the Hurricanes and making Andersen's life a bit more difficult than their first three playoff opponents did. But much as it did to Ottawa, Philadelphia and Montreal, Carolina will wear Vegas down and skate away with the Stanley Cup.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes
Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 8-6
PICK: Carolina in 7
WHY: The Golden Knights looked impressive in a four-game sweep of the Avalanche in the Western Conference Final, but the Hurricanes have been absolutely smothering through three straight rounds in the Eastern Conference and look to me like a team on a mission this season. Carolina doesn't need to out-talent Vegas, but will outwork, out-possess and outlast its Western foe. I expect the Hurricanes to control possession and wear down the Golden Knights defense with forecheck pressure while limiting high-danger chances in front of Andersen.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Logan Stankoven, Hurricanes
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Tracey Myers, staff writer
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 7-7
PICK: Hurricanes in 6
WHY: I didn’t see the Hurricanes in person much this postseason but whether I was in the building or watching from afar, I’m impressed by how dominant this team is. I mean, the postseason record speaks for itself. The Hurricanes have lost one game. One. Sure, there were a lot of tight games, but they’ve proven that’s their forte. The Hurricanes made a big statement with their performance in the Eastern Conference Final, an Achilles heel for them in recent seasons. They’re great defensively. Andersen has been amazing in net. Their offense is heating up at the right time. It’s all coming up Hurricanes as far as I’m concerned.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes
Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 6-8
PICK: Hurricanes in 6
WHY: First of all, let’s go on record that I was the only person in this exercise to pick the Golden Knights to defeat the Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. So there’s that. However, I also picked the Canadiens to top the Hurricanes in the East Final and somehow picked Philadelphia to beat Carolina in the second round. So there’s that. But after seeing the Hurricanes in person in Montreal for Games 3 and 4 I’m not only convinced they are the better of the two teams remaining, I’m also convinced this is their year. They are healthy, focused and -- to use a sports cliche -- all pulling on the same rope. They are a machine and though Vegas may get one or two wins, the Cup will be back in Carolina for the first time in 20 years.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Taylor Hall, Hurricanes
Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial
Conference Final record: 1-1
Overall record: 7-7
PICK: Hurricanes in 7
WHY: It’s been 20 years since the Hurricanes have been in the final, since they won the Cup in 2006. There has been a lot of heartbreak in the interim, including four losses in the Eastern Conference Final. This is a team that is battle-tested by the failures of the past and fresh after taking 13 games to advance through three rounds. A team doesn’t win 12 of 13 games in a postseason run without being complete and that is what these Hurricanes are. Yes, the Golden Knights are a very good team. Go ask the Avalanche, swept in the previous round. But the Hurricanes are better. Carolina has rarely had to rely on Andersen, but he has been rock solid when called upon. He allowed five goals in the final four games against Montreal in the conference final after allowing five in Game 1. Their defensive game is completely suffocating and they are better offensively than they have ever been in this eight-year chase. Each of their four lines is a threat to score, as the Canadiens learned quickly. It is a recipe to quench a thirst that has grown across a two-decade drought.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes
Dan Rosen, senior writer
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 12-2
PICK: Golden Knights in 7
WHY: I’m righting a wrong with my pick. Let’s go back to the start of the regular season when we did our season predictions. I picked the Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup. I wasn’t dissuaded from that by their struggles in the regular season. Again, at the start of the playoffs I picked Vegas to win the Stanley Cup and Eichel to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. So, of course, I picked them to beat the Utah Mammoth in the first round and the Anaheim Ducks in the second round. But then I was so impressed by what I saw from the Colorado Avalanche that I thought for sure Vegas wouldn’t be able to handle their speed and I went away from the Golden Knights, instead picking the Avalanche to win the Western Conference Final. Well, we know how wrong I was. So I’m back on the Vegas bandwagon for the Stanley Cup Final. I’m obviously incredibly impressed by what I’ve seen from the Hurricanes. How can you not be? They looked like world beaters against the Canadiens once they got their footing after the first period in Game 1. But the Golden Knights were my pick all along until I myself stumbled last round. So Vegas will find a way through the neutral zone and to score just enough goals to bring the Stanley Cup back to the Strip this year. If I’m right, we can all forget about how wrong I was last round.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Jack Eichel, Golden Knights
David Satriano, staff writer
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 7-7
PICK: Hurricanes in 6
WHY: I picked the Golden Knights to defeat the Hurricanes in the Cup Final for our preseason picks, and also had Marner as the Conn Smythe winner. While both of those things can still happen, I’m going with the Hurricanes. They won 12 of 13 games to get to this point, and have had excellent goaltending from Andersen. Their top line has yet to hit its stride, which is scary to think about. They’ve gotten so close over the past eight seasons and now that they’re finally in the Cup Final, I expect them to get the job done and coach Rod Brind’Amour will be lifting the Cup again 20 years after he did so as Carolina's captain in 2006.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes
Derek Van Diest, staff writer
Conference Final record: 1-1
Overall record: 6-8
PICK: Golden Knights in 6
WHY: Sometimes everything comes together for a team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Vegas has found its stride. The coaching change with John Tortorella replacing Bruce Cassidy with eight games remaining in the regular season seemed to be a wakeup call, and things immediately started falling into place. The return of William Karlsson from a lower-body injury was massive, and allowed Tortorella to slot his forwards into their proper roles. Marner is proving he can be an elite playoff performer, Eichel has been dominant at the defensive end of the ice, Dorofeyev and Brett Howden each is producing and captain Mark Stone is leading by example. The Golden Knights defensemen are big, mobile and make it hard for opponents to get to the net. When they do give up chances, Hart has been outstanding. I think it’s going to be a fantastic Final between two excellent teams, but experience helps Vegas prevail.
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Mitch Marner, Golden Knights
Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
Conference finals record: 1-1
Overall record: 9-5
PICK: Golden Knights in 7
WHY: Everything tells me Carolina. I mean, 12-1 to get to the Stanley Cup Final? Yet, having been in T-Mobile Arena seeing how the Golden Knights handled the mighty Avalanche in Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Final, well, that really sticks with me, even with center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar banged up. Back in September I picked Vegas to go all the way, but the Golden Knights underachieved for much of the season. So when it was time to make our playoff picks in mid-April, I had the Avalanche winning the Cup. My bad. Should have stuck with my preseason pick. Not making the mistake again of not believing in them. But I don’t feel confident about it.
CONN SMYTHE TROPHY: Mitch Marner, Golden Knights
