Jordan Staal’s Conn Smythe Case Was Built On D-Bandit Hockey

Jordan Staal did not win anybody over with highlight-reel offense, and that is exactly the point. The value came from the stuff coaches love and casual fans usually miss - the miserable shift-by-shift work that wrecks a game without ever showing up in a tidy little scoring summary. In a league that still worships the hot-hand scorer, this is the reminder that playoff hardware can go to the guy who makes the other team look like it is skating uphill.