Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard has broken out as one of the very best in the league this year. It's been a welcomed development for an Oilers team that has long lacked the true number one defenseman needed to win the Stanley Cup.

Now, the Oilers are in the Stanley Cup Final, and though they're down 1-0 to the Florida Panthers, there's reason to believe they could still come back and go all the way.

Here's why Bouchard could win the Conn Smythe as the MVP of the playoffs.

NHL Playoff Conn Smythe Favorite: Edmonton D Evan Bouchard

Bouchard has been a true revelation for the Oilers. The 2018 first round pick has followed a steady developmental curve, bringing an offensive element to the Oiler blue line in his earliest days and now blossoming into a well-rounded elite defender.

His offense hit a new level this season too, as Bouchard shattered his previous career high of 43 points by putting up 82 this season.

Every bit of his development has carried over into this postseason, allowing the Oilers to finally go on the sort of run that could finally deliver rings to franchise cornerstones Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Bouchard has produced an utterly absurd 27 points in 19 games so far in the playoffs to go with a +13 rating.

To go with that, his numbers under the hood are even more impressive. The Oilers have had to lean on Bouchard as their top minutes-eater quite a bit, and he's delivered with a 5-on-5 expected goals share of 62.16%, which is the best in the entire league in the postseason among skaters with at least 100 minutes played.

But on a team with McDavid and Draisaitl, would it really make sense for a defenseman to win the Conn Smythe if the Oilers hoist the Cup?

It feels unlikely that Bouchard would actually be awarded the honor, but there's a very strong case he'd deserve it.

The Oilers are absolutely destitute on defense after Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm. Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse have been getting caved in in terms of possession and results, making Bouchard's extreme positive contributions utterly invaluable to the team's success.

If Bouchard were to go down, the Oilers would be in immense trouble on defense, and thus there's a strong argument to make that he's been the team's most valuable player in this postseason.