Conn Smythe Power Rankings: Blackhawks' workhorse regains lead at bell lap

The 2015 Stanley Cup Final will see the NHL's two most dynamic offensive attacks sprint up and down the ice after the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning laid waste to their respective conferences.

Depth, or a lack of it, has proved to be both an asset and hindrance in their paths to the Final - but that's just noise. It's the superstars who have lifted these sides into the super series.

Here are the Conn Smythe Trophy power rankings leading in to the Stanley Cup Final:

1) Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks

Keith's brilliance can turn typical coach-speak into a science lesson.

Following Game 6 of the West Final, Joel Quenneville spoke in volumes to the defenseman's lung capacity for good reason: this man could set a VO2 max on fire. And it's fitness - an unspeakable ability to take up big minutes without having his incredible talent suffer - that has Chicago in line for its third Cup in six seasons.

Out of necessity, Keith has taken more than 86 minutes (or four periods plus) more than the next most-utilized skater this spring, his usage absolutely torching previous records.

In that, he's producing at better than a point-per-game pace and fueling the Blackhawks' transition offense with incredible vision. He set up three straight goals with the Blackhawks facing elimination in Game 6 and added two more helpers in Game 7.

2) Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

Captain, you can't be serious.

Toews became the first player in playoff history to record multi-goal games on the road in Games 5 and 7 of a series during the Blackhawks' near tyrannical dispatching of the Anaheim Ducks.

In that West final, he conquered the conference's greatest antagonist in Ryan Kesler, and drew comparisons to sport's greatest leader, Mark Messier, with a signature performance in Game 7 that propelled him to within three points of the postseason scoring lead.

3) Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning

Despite three multi-point games and contributions in five starts versus the New York Rangers, Johnson's sheen seems to have worn off just a bit.

Steven Stamkos's arrival has played a role in that, but there's no question Johnson has been the most valuable Bolt through three rounds. He leads the playoffs in goals and points, and in fleeting moments, has rerouted the Lightning back onto the championship path.

The Bolts wouldn't have emerged from the first round without his three two-goal performances versus the Detroit Red Wings. They wouldn't have built a 3-0 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens without his four points out the shoot. And who knows what would have become of the conference champs without his hat trick against the Rangers in Game 2.

4) Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

It's been a slow build for Tampa's captain, but with every rung secured, Stamkos is scaling higher and higher.

His early-round struggles were certainly overstated, but since shifting to the wing midway through the postseason, he's been a different player - and the Lightning, a better team.

Slicing his playoff into halves, Stamkos, unable to find the back of the net versus the Red Wings, scored once in his first 10 games. Since then, he's improved his all-encompassing total to seven and has scored at a point-per-game pace over his last 10.

He beat Henrik Lundqvist in four consecutive games in the East Final - securing seven points over that span - and has emerged as a legitimate physical threat after a tentative start.

5) Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

So what if he needed Quenneville's "Nuclear Option" and the assistance of Toews to get acclimated versus the Ducks? The team's most dangerous offensive threat, like his captain, is no slouch in the 'ole clutch department either.

Kane ran his streak of multi-point performances to five with Chicago facing elimination after amassing five points in Games 6 and 7 versus Anaheim.

Sure, past performances have no bearing on this year's race. But for all the firepower elsewhere in these playoffs, and all the incredible feats of his teammates, the 2013 Conn Smythe Trophy winner and overtime hero back in 2010 is just a single point off the scoring lead this go around.