WASHINGTON -- Does Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov care about the Conn Smythe Trophy?
"No, no, no. What is [it] going to give you? Nothing, right? People are going to talk about it, but I don't think it's the biggest thing for me," he said after Game 4.
Kuznetsov and his teammates obviously have larger hardware on their minds, sitting one win away from the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, with a 3-1 series lead against the Vegas Golden Knights.
But playoff MVP is more than just a footnote to the larger championship narrative.