June is an incredibly busy month for the NHL, but that doesn't mean we can't look ahead to what's coming. Free agency begins at 12 p.m. ET on July 1, and we're ranking the top 80 unrestricted free agents in a seven-post series ahead of the madness.

Here's a look at players ranked 30 - 21 on our list.

30. Chad Johnson (G)

Age on Oct. 1: 31
2016-17 Cap Hit: $1,700,000

This journeyman backup could be set to play for his sixth team in eight years.

Johnson, who carries a career save percentage of .915, should have some choices available to him after playing well in stretches for the Calgary Flames this past season while Brian Elliott (also a UFA) was struggling.

29. Drew Stafford (F)

Age on Oct. 1: 31
2016-17 Cap Hit: $4,350,000

Stafford's stock saw a bump after being traded from Winnipeg to Boston, scoring as many goals in limited time with the Bruins (four in 18 games) as he did in almost twice as many games with the Jets (four in 40 games).

Stafford did add two goals in six playoff games, but seems primed for the kind of short-term, low-risk deal that is common among aging players.

28. Peter Budaj (G)

Age on Oct. 1: 35
2016-17 Cap Hit: $600,000

While filling in for an injured Jonathan Quick, Budaj gave the Kings ridiculous value on a modest investment. In 53 appearances, he posted a 27-20-3 record with a .917 save percentage. True, he faded a bit before being shipped off to Tampa Bay, but he certainly proved he's capable of being a high-end backup.

27. Dmitry Kulikov (D)

Age on Oct. 1: 26
2016-17 Cap Hit: $4,333,333

Kulikov was limited to only 47 games in his one - and perhaps only - season in Buffalo, recording two goals, three assists, and a minus-26 rating. Still, he's only 26 and there's no shortage of teams looking for defensemen capable of playing top-four minutes.

26. Thomas Vanek (F)

Age on Oct. 1: 33
2016-17 Cap Hit: $2,600,000

After being bought out by Minnesota last summer, Vanek signed one of the one-year, modest-cap-hit deals mentioned above with respect to Stafford. In 68 games split between Detroit and Florida, he scored 17 goals and added 31 assists. He could be in for a bit more job security this time around.

25. Kris Versteeg (F)

Age on Oct. 1: 31
2016-17 Cap Hit: $950,000

Versteeg began training camp in Edmonton and eventually signed a one-year deal with Calgary, where he managed to contribute 15 goals and 22 assists in 69 games, and an additional four points in four playoff contests. He's already said, "If I'm sitting in Switzerland in September, my agent's getting fired," meaning he's expecting to land a contract with an NHL team come training camp.

24. Ron Hainsey (D)

Age on Oct. 1: 36
2016-17 Cap Hit: $2,833,333

Having never appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs prior to this season, Hainsey won his first Cup with Pittsburgh. Where he goes from here is anyone's guess, but we all know teams value experience, and he can now at least boast about scoring a goal in the Final.

23. Michael Del Zotto (D)

Age on Oct. 1: 27
2016-17 Cap Hit: $3,875,000

With his career seemingly at a crossroads, Del Zotto found his game in Philadelphia, where he spent the past three seasons. He never played in more than 64 games in a single season over that span, but his age and skill set should land him a nice deal regardless.

22. Kris Russell (D)

Age on Oct. 1: 30
2016-17 Cap Hit: $3,100,000

It appears as though Edmonton general manager Peter Chiarelli is keen on keeping Russell in the mix, but should he hit the open market, count on endless debates pitting advanced stats against the eye test.

21. Brian Boyle (F)

Age on Oct. 1: 32
2016-17 Cap Hit: $2,000,000

Boyle was acquired by Toronto prior to the trade deadline, and helped the team qualify for the postseason, where it gave Washington a tighter matchup in the first round than was initially expected. The veteran center will command plenty of attention in free agency, and rightfully so, based on all that he brings to the table.

Free Agent Rankings

• 80-66
• 65-51
• 50-41
• 40-31

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Matt Murray is sure to go down as one of the greatest rookie goaltenders of all time.

Not only has he become the first rookie goalie to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, he also finished off the Nashville Predators in style.

Murray had a terrific regular season but began the playoffs on the injured list. Once healthy, he was called upon in relief of Marc-Andre Fleury during the Eastern Conference Finals and reclaimed his rightful spot as Pittsburgh's starter.

In 11 appearances against Nashville and Ottawa, Murray posted a record of 7-3 with a sparkling save percentage of .937.

This after guiding the team to a championship in 2016, posting a record of 15-6 with a .923 save percentage along the way. He maintained his rookie status entering 2016-17 because he had appeared in only 13 regular-season games.

From the NHL's guidelines on Calder Trophy eligibility:

To be considered a rookie, a player must not have played in more than 25 NHL games in any preceding seasons, nor in six or more NHL games in each of any two preceding seasons.

Murray, still only 23, will enter next season having finally shed the rookie tag and likely without Fleury to back him up. He's certainly earned the right to backstop this team for years to come, although his first two playoff performances will be tough to top.

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Do or die. Win or go home. Leave it all on the line.

Pick your cliche, because they all apply to the Nashville Predators in advance of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Bridgestone Arena will no doubt be rocking Sunday, partly due to excitement and partly due to the nausea-inducing anxiety that comes when a team is facing elimination in a championship series.

In order to push the series to a decisive Game 7 back in Pittsburgh, the Predators will need to provide the right answers to the following questions:

Will Ryan Ellis play?

After being forced out of Game 5 with an unspecified injury, Ellis' availiability for Game 6 is up in the air, and that could spell big trouble for Nashville.

"He's obviously a huge part of our defense," Ellis' defense partner Roman Josi said Saturday, per Robby Stanley of NHL.com. "He's been unbelievable all season. He's been great in the playoffs.

"His hockey sense is really good. He makes the right plays, he always makes the right decision and he's a great leader on our team."

While Ellis averages the fewest minutes among Nashville's formidable defensive foursome - which also includes Josi, P.K. Subban, and Mattias Ekholm - he ranks second to Josi in goals (five) and points (13). He's also played a huge role in keeping the opposition at bay with solid play in his own zone.

Ellis didn't skate Saturday, and Matt Irwin is expected to see an uptick in minutes if Ellis can't go. That drop off may be too big to overcome.

Which Pekka Rinne will show up?

It's been a tale of two Rinne's so far during the Cup Final.

In Pittsburgh, he's been, in a word, bad. But on home ice, he's given his team a fighting chance, and he'll need to post similar numbers in order to push the series to seven games.

Here's a look at Rinne's roller coaster ride over the past five games.

At this point, Nashville's best hope is to hold serve at home and hope Rinne can pretend Game 7 is being played at Bridgestone. Recent history suggests the former is entirely possible, if not probable.

Can Filip Forsberg beat Matt Murray?

Game 6 would be the perfect time for Forsberg to break out.

After having shared the regular-season team lead in goals with Viktor Arvidsson (31), Forsberg leads Nasvhille once again with nine in the postseason. Only one of those, however, has come against the Penguins, and that was into an empty net to boot.

So far, Forsberg has fired 13 shots on Murray, with nothing to show for it.

This is where the loss of center Ryan Johansen is being felt, and hopefully someone, anyone, can get Forsberg the puck with some regularity on Sunday.

Arvidsson, by the way, has one goal on seven shots against Murray, and he too would do well to find the back of the net before it's too late.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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With the offseason underway for most teams and the remainder to join them in a few weeks, we're looking at what's in store for each club in the coming months.

2016-17 Grade: B

After a first-round, Game 7 loss to the Nashville Predators in 2016, Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray invoked a seemingly desperate measure in firing head coach Bruce Boudreau and replacing him with Randy Carlyle, who led the club to a Stanley Cup win in 2007.

The end result was another playoff series loss to the Predators, albeit this time in the Western Conference Final and with significant injury issues to boot: two big scorers - Rickard Rakell and Patrick Eaves - and No. 1 goalie John Gibson were all sidelined due to injury to finish the postseason, while defensemen Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm both require offseason shoulder surgery after playing through torn labrums.

Murray faced a barrage of criticism for bringing Carlyle back into the mix, but, to his credit, the veteran bench boss was able to adapt to a younger, faster game, bringing the team close to a berth in the final.

There's several questions moving forward, but 2016-17 has to be seen as a success for the Ducks, despite falling short of the ultimate goal.

Free agents

The Ducks will be in the market for a new backup goalie if unable to re-sign either one of their two free agents at the position, while the most notable forward looking for a new deal will be trade deadline acquisition Patrick Eaves.

2017 draft picks

Anaheim's first-round pick is owned by the Dallas Stars thanks to the aforementioned Eaves trade.

The Ducks will also be able to call it a day after the fifth round, pending any picks acquired through further wheeling and dealing.

Summer priorities

1. Figure out expansion protection

Of all 30 teams faced with decisions on who to expose in the upcoming expansion draft, the Ducks face arguably the toughest.

As a refresher, teams can protect one goalie and either seven forwards and three defensemen, or any combination of eight skaters. Any player with a no-movement clause cannot be exposed, however, unless he agrees to do so.

That Kevin Bieksa has a NMC on his deal may cause havoc for the Ducks, seeing as Anaheim will no doubt be reticent to expose one of Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, or Cam Fowler.

Protecting all four defensemen, coupled with the fact Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan Kesler can't be moved, would likely mean exposing Jakob Silfverberg up front, which seems unimaginable.

In short, Murray has his work cut out for him here.

2. Explore all trade possibilities

The Ducks are absolutely loaded on the blue line, with Josh Manson, Brandon Montour, or Shea Theodore (all exempt from expansion protection, by the way) waiting in the wings to take on big roles behind the four players mentioned above.

All three will become restricted free agents next summer, and with Fowler eligible to hit unrestricted free agency at the same time, there simply won't be enough cash to go around.

Literally every NHL team is looking to upgrade at this position, giving Anaheim plenty of leverage to pull off a significant trade, ideally for a high-end young forward.

3. Improve goaltending depth

The Ducks remain bullish on Gibson's stock as a No. 1 goalie, but the fact he was injured to finish the postseason and Jonathan Bernier was unable to pick up the slack may have cost the team a shot at the Cup.

Both Bernier and Jhonas Enroth will be UFAs this summer, and there's not much to speak of at this position in the pipeline. As such, drafting a goalie and signing a capable backup are musts on Murray's summer to-do list.

2017-18 Outlook

While there's somewhat of a youth movement happening in Anaheim, the core of the team remains built around Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan Kesler, all of whom are on the brink of exiting their peak years, despite carrying heavy cap hits for the foreseeable future.

There are only so many opportunities to get the job done, and Anaheim's window won't remain open forever. In order for 2017-18 to be a success, nothing short of a final appearance will suffice.

This will be a tricky offseason to navigate, but if Murray can push all the right buttons, he may just be able to serve up the right mix for a winning recipe.

Offseason Outlook Series

COL | VAN | NJD | ARI | BUF
DET | DAL | FLA | LAK | CAR
WPG | PHI | TBL | NYI | WAS
TOR | CGY | BOS | SJ | OTT
STL | NYR | EDM | MTL | ANH

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Rightly or wrongly, a player's career is often defined by their accomplishments in the postseason.

Here are three players who have been walking the walk through three rounds and who can rewrite their legacies in this year's Stanley Cup Final:

P.K. Subban

For whatever reason, the Montreal Canadiens did not think they could win with P.K. Subban, and in less than a year, he's on the verge of doing just that as a member of the Nashville Predators.

Yes, Subban is a member of arguably the best group of defensemen in the league, but he's hardly being carried along the way; rather, he's doing much of the heavy lifting.

Through 16 playoff games, Subban is averaging the second-most ice time among Predators defensemen (25:52, four seconds behind Roman Josi), and is tied with Josi for second in points with 10 (two goals, eight assists), one behind Ryan Ellis.

Subban also ranks first among his mates with a 54.15 Corsi For rating in five-on-five play, and not because he's being deployed in the offensive zone on a regular basis.

Subban has also continued to be criticized even during this playoff run, most notably by NBC's Mike Milbury, who called him a clown for daring to do a little dance during pregame warmups.

Should the Predators prevail in the final, you can bet Subban will be dancing at the parade and through the summer, and rightfully so, as both a Norris Trophy winner and a Stanley Cup champion.

(Advanced stats courtesy: Corsica Hockey)

Evgeni Malkin

Let's be perfectly clear, Malkin is not simply Sidney Crosby's sidekick, and his career achievements are already the envy of most, as evidenced by his packed trophy case.

Yet when the NHL named its 100 Greatest Players back on Jan. 1, the Pittsburgh Penguins center was inexplicably omitted.

It was a gross oversight, and one that looks even sillier as Malkin sits first in playoff scoring through three rounds with seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points, four ahead of Crosby.

A third Cup and a second Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP would most certainly rank Malkin among the very best players of all time, even if he's not appreciated by the very league he's excelled in over the past decade.

Pekka Rinne

Despite being a three-time finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie during the regular season, Rinne has never really been viewed as a truly elite goaltender.

But going back to the 2006 playoffs, the first after the 2004-05 lockout, only one goalie to win at least 12 playoff games in a single postseason has topped Rinne's .941 save percentage.

Rinne will be in tough to improve upon or even maintain that save percentage while earning four more wins over the Penguins, but it should be noted that his best single-round performance came against the Chicago Blackhawks, to whom he allowed only three goals against in a four-game first-round sweep, posting a save percentage of .976.

If he, with help from Nashville's formidable defense corps, can similarly flummox the Penguins and backstop his team to its first ever Cup win, there'll be far less reason, if any, to question his abilities.

Rinne only needs to look at the other bench during the final to be reminded that a young buck like Juuse Saros could supplant him as the starter at some point in the near future, meaning the time to cement his legacy in Nashville is now.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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With the offseason underway for most teams, and the rest to join them in a few weeks, we're looking at what's in store for each club in the coming months.

2016-17 grade: C+

For the first time since 2014, the Boston Bruins made it back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but not without a major shakeup along the way.

After guiding the team to a 26-23-6 record through 55 games, longtime and Cup-winning head coach Claude Julien was fired, and assistant Bruce Cassidy was promoted to interim bench boss. From that point on, the Bruins went 18-8-1, good enough to clinch a postseason berth and earn Cassidy the gig moving forward.

Once in the playoffs, Boston fell to Ottawa in the opening round, albeit with a depleted blue line and with four of the six games being decided in overtime.

Despite being a playoff bubble team over the course of the season, Boston finished with a second-ranked five-on-five Corsi rating of 54.68, suggesting solid play throughout the season mixed with a touch of bad luck that kept them down. In fact, Boston's PDO (save percentage + shooting percentage) was a 29th-ranked 98.13 in five-on-five play, with only lowly Colorado faring worse.

The underlying numbers show the team was better than its point total suggested. But the Bruins achieved basically their lowest possible level of tangible success, keeping their overall grade down.

Free agents

The Bruins have a number of players who need contracts come July 1, with David Pastrnak standing out as a major item on Sweeney's to-do list, and Ryan Spooner's tenure with the club seemingly at a crossroads after he was scratched in the playoffs.

2017 draft picks

The Bruins will make six picks in the coming draft, and only four of their own.

Summer priorities

1. Left side, weak side: Team president Cam Neely has already named two clear roster needs: left wing and left-side defense.

When it comes to the former, Matt Beleskey and Jimmy Hayes have disappointed in black and gold, and both were scratched during the playoffs. While Brad Marchand has emerged as one of the league's best left-wingers, there's a steep drop-off in talent under his name on the depth chart.

On the blue line, both John-Michael Liles and Joe Morrow are free agents, leaving only Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug as left-hand-shot defensemen. The Bruins have prospects like Jakub Zboril, Rob O'Gara, and Matt Grzelcyk in the pipeline, but it's possible none of them are ready to play full time in the NHL yet.

Ideally, the left-side defenseman they target will be able to take Charlie McAvoy under his wing like Chara did with Brandon Carlo this past season.

2. Get Pastrnak signed long term: In light of how the Bruins have handled young players in recent years - most notably Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton - the club can ill afford to mess around with another budding star.

David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, David Backes, and Marchand will all make between $6 million and $7.25 million next season. Given that Pastrnak has become just as integral to the forward group, he deserves to be compensated as such.

Only Marchand topped Pastrnak's 70 points (34 goals, 36 assists) in 2016-17, with Krejci ranking third with 54 points.

The Bruins need to lock him up, and for a long time.

3. Find a better backup: The backup goaltender position was perhaps the biggest roster flaw this past season.

Anton Khudobin rejoined Boston last summer, and while he did provide the team with a few wins and some solid play down the stretch, his poor performance near the beginning of the season forced Tuukka Rask to carry a heavier load than necessary.

Khudobin was one of three goalies to spell Rask, with underwhelming results.

He remains under contract for 2017-18, but could easily be sent down to the AHL in favor of Zane McIntyre, who's had a promising season in the minors. He could also be bought out with a view to signing a better, more established backup.

Either way, this situation needs to be fixed.

2017-18 outlook

For next season to be a success, the Bruins will need to shed the label of playoff bubble team and return to contention. A team built around the likes of Bergeron, Marchand, Pastrnak, Krejci, Rask, and even an aging Chara should be in the playoffs and winning rounds year in and year out.

And help is on the way, thanks to general manager Don Sweeney's rebuild on the fly. The young McAvoy appears poised to make his presence felt after a successful playoff debut, and there are several other prospects both on the blue line and up front that could make the team and infuse some pep on the cheap.

Last summer's somewhat ill-advised David Backes signing is a mistake that shouldn't be repeated, but it signals Boston's intent to remain competitive in the present.

The Bruins could have their best team since winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2014, and, quite frankly, it's time to make up for wasted years in between.

Offseason Outlook Series

COL | VAN | NJD | ARI | BUF
DET | DAL | FLA | LAK | CAR
WPG | PHI | TBL | NYI | WSH
TOR | CGY | BOS | SJS | STL
NYR | EDM | MTL | ANA | MIN
CBJ | CHI | OTT | PIT | NAS
LGK

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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The dates for the Stanley Cup Final have been announced.

With four teams - Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, and Anaheim Ducks - still vying for spots in the fourth round, the NHL has announced the championship series will begin May 29.

Here's a list of the dates, with start times yet to be determined.

The team with the greatest number of points during the regular season gets home-ice advantage for the series.

Both conference finals are currently tied 2-2.

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With the offseason underway for a number of teams, with the remainder to join them in a few weeks, we're looking at what's in store for each club in the coming months.

2016-17 Grade: C+

In the end, the 2016-17 Carolina Hurricanes were what we thought they would be: a non-playoff team that appears to be trending upward.

Sure, the Hurricanes finished with a single point more in the standings than they did the previous season, but a promising group of talented young forwards and defensemen now have another year under their belts, with steps taken in the right direction under head coach Bill Peters.

It was near the end of the season that the Hurricanes put the rest of the NHL on notice, amassing the fourth-highest point total (28) from March 1 onward, thanks to a record of 11-6-6 in 23 games down the stretch.

More of that, and these Hurricanes will be upgraded a category or two sooner than later.

Free Agents

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

The Hurricanes have a handful of players who need contracts come July 1, with Teuvo Teravainen standing out from the bunch:

2017 Draft Picks

The Hurricanes have 10 picks over seven rounds in the coming draft.

Summer priorities

1. Center of attention: One of the worst kept secrets in hockey is the Hurricanes' need for a top-line center, an acquisition that is most likely to be made possible by dealing from a position of strength, namely defense.

General manager Ron Francis, to his credit, has done an amazing job stockpiling impressive talent on the blue line, and while there's also some nice pieces to build around up front, a high-end pivot is an absolute necessity if this team hopes to return to the ranks of the relevant.

2. Clear out the crease: The Hurricanes already took care of a huge piece of business by trading for and subsequently signing goaltender Scott Darling to a four-year, $16.6-million contract. Darling has the look of a backup ready for a starting gig, and he's certainly being compensated as such before really proving he can do it.

The offshoot to that is Cam Ward ($3.3 million) and Eddie Lack ($2.75 million) are still on the books for 2017-18, and Francis will certainly be looking to move one - presumably the more expensive Ward - to clear the goalie glut and free up some cap space in the process.

3. Complement blue line with experience: The age range of the Hurricanes' defensemen under contract for next season is 20 to 25. There's obviously no need to break the bank here, as Francis has some star potential and heavyweight depth already at the position.

Some veteran savvy would be nice, however, and the addition of an older, serviceable, and affordable free agent at this position could go a long way toward not asking too much, too soon of this young core.

2017-18 Outlook

The Hurricanes have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2009, and that drought needs to end as soon as possible. As mentioned above, Carolina made a late push to jump into the postseason conversation, but ultimately fell short by eight points.

Darling should bring an immediate boost to a team that registered a 26th-ranked .902 save percentage last season. Conversely, the Hurricanes ranked third with a Corsi For rating of 57.25 in all situations, meaning even average goaltending should give this team a much better chance to pick up some points on any given night.

Francis has done a solid job of setting up a foundation for success since taking over the job in 2014, stockpiling assets and clearing cap space. Few deny he's doing it right, but what he does next - beginning this summer - will determine where Carolina goes over the next few seasons.

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For the fifth time over the past decade, the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The two clubs have played three first-round series and another second-round series in that span, with Pittsburgh holding a 3-1 advantage.

But that's all in the past. What lies ahead is a best-of-seven affair, with the winner earning the right to advance to the final.

Here are three storylines to watch:

Battle of the Masterton nominees

This series will feature two goalies nominated for the Masterton Trophy, awarded to "the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."

In one crease is Craig Anderson, whose life was turned upside down this season due to a cancer battle fought by his wife, prompting him to take several leaves of absence. When he was able to take to the ice, he played some of the best hockey of his career, and while his numbers have dipped a bit in the playoffs, he remains one of the league's more underrated netminders.

In the other is Marc-Andre Fleury, whose days as Pittsburgh's starting goalie appeared to have come to an end this time last year, when Matt Murray was embarking on a successful run to the Cup as a rookie. It's Fleury who's filling in for an injured Murray this time around, and although this postseason could very well be it for Fleury in Pittsburgh, his renaissance is as big a reason as any for the Penguins' win over the Washington Capitals.

Here's how their playoff numbers stack up:

The slash

It was one of the more gruesome incidents of the regular season, and it could carry into the postseason thanks to this rather unexpected matchup.

The date was March 23, and the principal characters were Sidney Crosby and Marc Methot. Near the end of the opening frame, the Penguins captain caught the Senators defenseman with a slash that quite simply destroyed Methot's finger.

Crosby contended he was aiming for Methot's stick and the NHL didn't give the play a second look, while Methot didn't play again until Game 2 of Ottawa's first-round series against the Boston Bruins more than three weeks later.

On top of that, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk called Crosby a "whiner beyond belief" and argued for a season-long suspension, while the Penguin retorted by saying Melnyk just likes to hear himself talk.

And let's not forget Melnyk once commissioned a forensic investigation into an Achilles injury suffered by Erik Karlsson at the hands of former Penguins forward Matt Cooke.

There's clearly a weird relationship between these two clubs, with the Eastern Conference Final serving as a big stage for grievances new and old to be aired.

Karlsson's conquest

For those who needed a refresher on just how good of a player Karlsson is, this postseason has provided a crash course, albeit unnecessarily.

Not only does Karlsson lead the Senators with 13 points in 12 games (two goals, 11 assists), he ranks first among all remaining defensemen with a Corsi For rating of 57.14 in five-on-five play, meaning he's regularly on the ice for more shot attempts for than against. He also boasts a rating of plus-eight, for the more traditional crowd.

What's even crazier is he admitted to being hindered by a pair of hairline fractures in his left heel earlier in the playoffs. That's remarkable considering he's averaging almost 29 minutes of ice time, and regularly looks like one of the world's best players, scoring and setting up plays in jaw-dropping fashion.

The Senators wouldn't be here without Karlsson, and they won't advance unless he keeps it up, at the very least. If he does, they can go ahead and throw his name on the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Series Schedule

*if necessary

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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It's a narrative few, if any, expected.

Marc-Andre Fleury backstopping the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Eastern Conference Final, that is.

But that's exactly what the goaltender has done, thanks to a Game 7 win over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday in which he recorded the ninth playoff shutout of his career.

In truth, Fleury wasn't supposed to add to his postseason numbers as a member of the Penguins, seeing as he had been relegated to the bench in favor of Matt Murray during last year's playoffs. The rookie supplanted the veteran after the latter fell prey to a late-season injury, and made good on the opportunity by leading the Penguins all the way to a Stanley Cup win.

The prevailing belief was Fleury would be moved last summer, but, to his credit, general manager Jim Rutherford held on, just in case. And so Fleury fell into the unfamiliar role of backup, yet without losing his trademark smile.

And as it happened, Murray himself suffered an injury prior to Game 1 of a first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets back in April, leaving head coach Mike Sullivan to hand the reins back to Fleury.

And through two series victories, Fleury - playing behind a Penguins blue line that's been decimated by injuries - has posted a record of 8-4 with a save percentage of .927, putting himself firmly in the Conn Smythe Trophy conversation as playoff MVP.

This postseason could very well be it for Fleury in Pittsburgh, with an expansion draft coming up and perhaps an ever-growing line of trade suitors based on his play over the past few weeks. Sullivan could even turn to a healthy-again Murray for the third round seeing as he's the de facto starter, but that seems unlikely at this point.

The reality is the Penguins weren't favored to topple the Capitals this time around, and Fleury is a huge reason why they came out on top once again.

No matter how many more times he puts on that jersey, he's certainly making the most of it, and earning a huge amount of respect as a result.

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