Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal Deserving of the 2026 Conn Smythe

We’re just over 24 hours removed from the Carolina Hurricanes winning the 2026 Stanley Cup, and it’s still a surreal feeling for the team, organization, and fanbase as the celebrations are only beginning. On Sunday night (June 14), the Hurricanes won their second-ever Stanley Cup, and there’s been a sense of relief in finally reaching the mountaintop once again. While the celebrations will take place for the next few days, weeks, and even months, we have to honor one player in particular after a stellar Stanley Cup Final.

Better Call Staal for the Conn Smythe

After scoring six goals through the first five Stanley Cup Final games, Jordan Staal was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. He became the oldest player to win the Conn Smythe at 37 years old, beating out Tim Thomas and Glen Hall, who were both 36. Back on Saturday, June 13, The Hockey Writers mentioned that Staal was the Conn Smythe Trophy favorite heading into Game 6. Safe to say that played out perfectly. It made sense for Staal to be the favorite after he started the Stanley Cup Final with a five-game goal streak, which tied him for a record. He joined Jean Beliveau (1956), Maurice Richard (1951), and Cyclone Taylor (1918) to score in the first five games to begin a Stanley Cup Final.

On top of that, Staal finished with almost 70% of faceoffs won through the Stanley Cup Final. Furthermore, he helped lead the Hurricanes’ penalty kill to go 16-for-18 in the six games against the Vegas Golden Knights. When it came down to the Conn Smythe votes, it was a no-brainer that Staal was going to win it.

Out of the 21 votes, Staal was first on 17 of the ballots. Taylor Hall had the other four first-place votes. When it came to voting, it was broken down into a 5-3-1 points system, and the deadline to submit ballots to the NHL was 10 minutes before the end of the game. Staal had 97 points, while Hall had 59, and Logan Stankoven rounded out the top three with 17.

While the celebrations were going on on the ice, Rod Brind’Amour was asked about his captain’s Conn Smythe performance. “It’s kind of an unbelievable ending to a great story. I’m 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 what I’ve known forever: what kind of player he is, and leader. We’re not hoisting that without him. It’s just not even close. But I’m glad for him. I’ve seen this guy grind it out for 14 years and never waver. It doesn’t always work out, as you know, but it’s nice to see the good guys get one.”

It’s well known how much Staal is loved in the locker room, not just as the captain, but as a person. Jordan Martinook, after Game 5, stated, “He’s putting up goals, points, and all of that right now, but he leads us all year. Obviously, everybody that’s been around here all year, you see the way Jordo plays every night. Some stretches aren’t filled with however many goals he’s scoring right now, but every night he’s the guy that sets the tone for our team. In the most important series of our season, he’s setting the tone every night and playing phenomenal. That shows you what type of captain he is.”

Jaccob Slavin, ahead of Game 5, shared his thoughts on Staal: “It’s unbelievable. I’ve been with him for 11 years now; he’s been my captain the whole time. Obviously, he wasn’t wearing a letter for the first couple of years, but he was a leader on this team, always has been. It’s welcoming to see; he’s what, 37 years old and still one of the hardest workers on the team.”

Staal is seen as a driving force on and off the ice for the Hurricanes, and now he’s been rewarded with the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP. There were some cases for Hall, who had 19 points in 19 games during the postseason, along with Stankoven, who led the team in goals. Even Frederik Andersen had a case, after going 12-1 through the first three rounds of the playoffs. In the end, it was the captain who came home with double the hardware.

While it’s obvious the most important one is the Stanley Cup, adding a Conn Smythe is a bonus to his 20-year career. Now Jordan can share the honor of winning a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes like his brother Eric. However, the current captain has something extra over the former captain and Stanley Cup champion: a playoff MVP on his resume.