The final Conn Smythe Trophy vote is out, and honestly, it tells the story of the Carolina Hurricanes’ championship run almost perfectly.

Jordan Staal did not just win the Conn Smythe. He ran away with it.

According to the revealed voting point totals, Staal finished with 97 points, well ahead of teammate Taylor Hall, who came in second with 59 points. Logan Stankoven finished third with 17 points, while Vegas Golden Knights star Mitch Marner was the highest-ranked non-Hurricane with 6 points.

The rest of the voting showed just how deep Carolina’s run really was. Nikolaj Ehlers finished with 4 points, Jaccob Slavin had 3, Jackson Blake had 2, and Brandon Bussi picked up 1 point.

The NHL’s voting system awarded points on a 5-3-1 basis, meaning voters selected a first-place, second-place, and third-place choice. The most interesting part? The ballots had to be submitted with 10 minutes remaining in Game 6.

That detail matters.

Because in a series where emotions were flying, the building was rocking, and the Stanley Cup was close enough to touch, voters had to make their decision before the final horn. They were not voting after the celebration. They were not voting after the Cup was raised. They had to decide while the game was still alive.

And even with that deadline, the vote was not close.

Staal was the clear choice.

This was not a flashy pick. It was not the loudest pick. It was not the pick built only on highlight-reel goals or viral moments. It was a very hockey pick. A captain’s pick. A respect pick.

Jordan Staal has always been the kind of player coaches trust, teammates follow, and opponents hate playing against. He does not need to dominate every highlight package to dominate a series. He wins faceoffs. He kills penalties. He leans on defenders. He plays the heavy minutes. He wears down teams shift after shift until suddenly, by the end of a long playoff run, everyone realizes how much he controlled.

That is what made this Conn Smythe win feel so fitting.

The Hurricanes did not win the Stanley Cup because of one superstar dragging them across the finish line. They won because they played Carolina Hurricanes hockey. Hard. Structured. Relentless. Annoying. Deep. And at the center of that identity was Jordan Staal.

The ballot results show that voters saw it too.

A long list of voters had Staal first on their ballots. Chip Alexander of the News & Observer had Staal first, Taylor Hall second, and Jackson Blake third. Jonathan Bernier of Quebecor Media had Staal first, Hall second, and Stankoven third. Per Bjurman of Aftonbladet had Staal first, Hall second, and Mitch Marner third. Steve Carp of The Sporting Tribune also had Staal first, Hall second, and Brandon Bussi third. Luke Fox and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet both had Staal first, Hall second, and Nikolaj Ehlers third.

That was the theme over and over again.

Staal first. Hall second. Someone else third.

There were a few voters who went with Taylor Hall at the top, and that is completely understandable. Hall had a massive postseason and clearly had a real case. Finishing with 59 points in the voting shows that this was not some courtesy mention. He was a major part of Carolina’s Cup run and had plenty of support.

Sean Gentille of The Athletic had Hall first, Staal second, and Stankoven third. Mark Anderson of the Associated Press had Hall first, Staal second, and Stankoven third. Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press also put Hall first, Staal second, and Stankoven third. Greg Wyshynski of ESPN had Hall first, Staal second, and Marner third.

So yes, Hall had voters who believed he was the most valuable player of the playoffs. But not enough of them.

The overall totals show the difference between a strong Conn Smythe case and a winning Conn Smythe case. Hall’s postseason was excellent. Staal’s postseason became the heartbeat of a championship team.

That is the difference.

Logan Stankoven finishing third is another interesting part of the vote. For a player like Stankoven to end up with 17 points in Conn Smythe voting says a lot about how noticeable he was throughout the run. He appeared on several third-place ballots and even landed some second-place consideration. That is not nothing. On a team loaded with veterans and established names, Stankoven clearly forced voters to pay attention.

Mitch Marner getting 6 points is also a fascinating wrinkle.

Vegas did not win the Stanley Cup, but Marner still earned enough respect to appear on ballots. That tells you how dangerous he was throughout the playoffs. Even in a losing effort, some voters clearly felt his postseason deserved recognition. Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal had Marner second behind Staal, while others placed him third.

But this was Carolina’s year, and the voting reflected that heavily.

The Hurricanes had Staal, Hall, Stankoven, Ehlers, Slavin, Blake, and Bussi all receive points. That is seven different Carolina players showing up in the final totals. That says everything about the depth of this team.

It also says something about the kind of Stanley Cup run this was.

Some championship teams have one obvious superstar. One player who scores every big goal, carries every big moment, and makes the Conn Smythe vote feel almost automatic. Carolina’s run was different. They had stars, grinders, veterans, young players, defensive anchors, and surprise contributors all leaving fingerprints on the Cup.

Still, when voters had to choose the one player who represented the run, they chose the captain.

And maybe that is why this result feels bigger than just an award.

For Jordan Staal, this is the kind of recognition that lands differently. He has been around forever. He has played the hard minutes forever. He has taken on the matchups that do not always show up in a box score. He has been praised by coaches, trusted by teammates, and respected around the league for years.

Now he gets the headline too.

Now he gets the trophy.

Now, after helping lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup, he gets to stand as the playoff MVP.

That is not just a nice story. That is a legacy moment.

There will always be debates with awards like this. Some people will argue Hall should have won. Some will point to Marner’s individual brilliance for Vegas. Some will say Stankoven deserved more love. Others will bring up Slavin’s defensive impact or Bussi’s importance in key moments.

That is part of what makes the Conn Smythe fun.

But the voters made their statement loud and clear.

Jordan Staal was their guy.

And when you look at the point totals, it was not really close.

Jordan Staal: 97.
Taylor Hall: 59.
Everyone else: far behind.

That is not a coin flip. That is not a controversial squeaker. That is a captain being recognized for doing exactly what great captains do in the playoffs.

Lead.

Not always with the prettiest play. Not always with the loudest quote. Not always with the flashiest stat line.

But with everything that wins in June.

Carolina’s Stanley Cup run had plenty of heroes. Taylor Hall had his moments. Logan Stankoven made his mark. The depth players delivered. The blue line held strong. The goaltending story had its own drama.

But the final Conn Smythe vote says the same thing Hurricanes fans probably felt watching this run unfold.

This was Jordan Staal’s playoff.

And now, officially, it is Jordan Staal’s Conn Smythe too.