Who should win this year’s Conn Smythe Trophy?

As the Stanley Cup Final has unfolded, two candidates have emerged as frontrunners for the Conn Smythe Trophy: the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin and Vegas Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury.

Football is often referred to as the ultimate team sport, but in reality, hockey — especially playoff hockey — features surprise contributions from role players frequently.

Fourth-line forwards can make or break a low-scoring game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Still, at this level of hockey an outlier can also lead their squads to victory, typically a goalie or a top scorer. This year has been no different, as the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin and the Vegas Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury have emerged as essential to their teams’ Stanley Cup bid.

That’s why when it comes time to name the winner of this year’s Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP, it will almost certainly be one of these players. But who deserves it more — the longtime Capitals leader who has never tasted victory, or the veteran goaltender who helped carry a ragtag expansion team to the Final?

Vote for your choice below:

Heading into Monday night’s Game 4, the Capitals lead the series 2-1 and could finish it out as early as Thursday night if they can win out. While Braden Holtby and Devante Smith-Pelly have played their share in the team’s success, there’s no question that Ovechkin has tapped into a new level this postseason.

This postseason, Ovechkin has amassed 14 goals and 11 assists with a 15.6 shooting percentage, higher than both his career regular season and postseason averages.

Of course, Fleury has been playing out of his mind, posting an unbelievable .937 save percentage in these playoffs, higher than his career regular season and postseason averages.

So, who has your vote?

Next: 10 reasons Stanley Cup Playoffs are better than NBA Playoffs

Poll data provided exclusively for FanSided by The Tylt.

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