Jake Guentzel
A darkhorse candidate but one that should definitely be considered, Jake Guentzel has had himself a great rookie playoff run.
Sitting at fourth in the league in points overall, Guentzel leads all scorers in goals with 12. He also has tallied 7 assists. Mostly playing on Sidney Crosby’s line has helped and has made the top line a lethal one for the Penguins. To think his name was tossed around by some as a potential healthy scratch when Patric Hornqvist returned for the Stanley Cup final.
Guentzel has racked up all kinds of stats along with media attention during these playoffs. He now ranks second in goals by a rookie in post-season, behind Dino Ciccarelli who had 14 goals with the Minnesota North Stars in 1981. He has set a record for most points in a postseason by an American born rookie and has the rookie postseason record with five game winning goals.
Guentzel has been instrumental in the Penguins success thus far and could be a surprise pick should they win the Stanley Cup.