NHL futures: Four Conn Smythe bets to make now

Then there were four. We're down to the Conference Finals in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and there are a few unique ways you can add some futures bets that pay out better than simply backing one of these four teams to win it all.

The Conn Smythe Award goes to the most valuable player from the winning team, but it is not limited to simply their performance in the Stanley Cup Final. Rather, it's a cumulative award, which means we have two series in the bag to glean some potential betting insights off of.
We went through this exercise last year and correctly nailed Jonathan Marchessault of Vegas as the bet to make at 36-1. Let's see if we can't find us a value bet to make now in the NHL playoffs.

Eastern Conference

New York Rangers: Igor Shesterkin (+600 FanDuel)

I definitely considered Chris Kreider for a moment at +8000, as he's fresh off a hat trick and leads the Rangers in goals scored, but it seems very unlikely that anyone but Igor Shesterkin wins this award should New York go all the way.

Shesterkin twice saved 45+ shots last round. and his .923 save % is tops among the remaining goalies in the field. Shesterkin seems likely to continue facing an onslaught of shots this round, as few teams shoot the puck as often as Florida. If New York wins this round, you can bet it's because of the effort of Shesterkin between the pipes.

Again, I like the value on Kreider at 80-1. In that world, the Rangers get themselves into a ton of high-scoring games the next two rounds, winning games because they're scoring 4-5 goals despite allowing 3-4 per game. 

It just seems more likely that Shesterkin is recognized as New York's most valuable player should they hoist the Cup next month.

Florida Panthers: Matthew Tkachuk (+950 FanDuel)

Florida is an interesting case, as Aleksander Barkov is the current favorite at +650. Barkov had the much better round against the Bruins, piling up a team-high eight points and three goals in six games. Could that momentum carry over? Of course, especially when you see that Barkov has racked up seven points in his last three games against the Rangers.

However, I still prefer Matthew Tkachuk as the bet on the Panthers end. Tkachuk is leading Florida with 14 points this postseason, and he led the team in production during their Stanley Cup Final run last season.

Tkachuk would need to likely turn up the goal-scoring a bit here, as his four this postseason is fourth on the team, with Carter Verhaeghe leading the team with six. For me, I like the added narrative that Matthew Tkachuk was the missing piece for this Florida team. In the two years with Tkachuk on the team, Florida has won five straight playoff series in the Eastern side of the bracket. 

Tkachuk will need to step up to power another Panthers finals appearance, and he's my preferred player to back on this side.