What NHL players think of the league’s crackdown on cross-checking
Everyone has their favorite harbingers that a new NHL season is upon us. Fresh ice. Awkward player photos. Unsigned restricted free agents threatening to sit out of meaningless games. Optimism in Toronto.
Mine? The preseason penalty crackdown.
Every year, the NHL’s hockey operations department, egged on by disgruntled and aggrieved general managers, zeroes in on a rule it wants to overenforce in exhibition games and during the first month of the regular season, in order to change player behavior.
Previously, we had the crackdown on interference. The crackdown on slashing. The crackdown on faceoff violations, which Brad Marchand memorably called “an absolute joke” in the 2017-18 preseason.
For the 2021-22 season? It’s a crackdown on cross-checking.
“On cross-checking?” asked Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, rhetorically.
Yes, on cross-checking.
“I mean, I don’t think guys really think about it,” he explained to me at the NHL Player Media Tour in Chicago. “OK, maybe around the net, where you’re being a little bit aggressive. But you’re never taught to skate around the ice with two hands on the stick, cross-checking guys.”
The NHL doesn’t care about how the behavior was learned. It just wants to change the behavior — by any means necessary.
In a video shown to the Board of Governors this week that will be distributed to the teams in training camp, the NHL states that there will be “stricter enforcement” of Rule 59 on cross-checking. Specifically, the “stricter enforcement” will occur in three areas where cross-checks are delivered:
Around the boards: The example provided by the NHL included a series of cross-checks being delivered to a player as he battled for the puck in the corner, as well as a cross-check from behind that knocked down a player along the boards. Basically, a tap by a defender will be tolerated, but if he starts acting like an amateur chiropractor, it’s a penalty.
Open ice: Players are allowed to use their sticks to “push or guide” a player defensively. But it’s when that push involves excessive force that’s the problem. Among the examples given here: Connor McDavid being knocked down by a stick while driving into the opposing defensive zone. (Someone please tell Connor that’s he’s been heard and seen.)
Net front: The specific infraction here isn’t necessarily the battles in front of the goal, where offensive and defensive players can sometimes trade cross-checks as they jockey for position. Rather, the league wants to crack down on cross-checks from defensive players from the faceoff dots down to the crease, sending opponents to the ice while there’s a shot coming from the point.
Cross-checking is commonplace in the NHL. It’s actually refreshing to hear players openly discuss using the tactic, as opposed to when they talk about embellishment and say that every other player in the league dives except for them.
“I’d be lying if I said I never cross-checked guys,” said Mark Stone, the defensive ace for the Vegas Golden Knights and a four-time Selke Trophy finalist.
He told me a cross-checking crackdown could have a huge effect on the NHL.
“Cross-checking has become almost natural in the game. I cross-check. I get cross-checked. That’s just how it’s been. But if they’re trying to get rid of injuries, I can understand why they’re doing it. It’s a sensitive area. In the playoffs especially, it can get a little out of control,” he said.
Roman Josi won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman two years ago.
“Obviously, it does affect me. It’ll be an adjustment. It’s part of your game in the corners, trying to get forwards off pucks. They’re big and strong. You have to do something to get them off pucks. You give them a little cross-check in the back,” he said.
“But there has to be a line. It can be dangerous. You never want to cross-check a guy when there’s a risk for injury. So as a defenseman, we’ll have to adjust a little bit.”
Especially now that cross-checks are suddenly suspension-worthy events.
Last season, there were seven fines but only one suspension for cross-checking. In 2019-20, there were four fines and just two suspensions. That’s about to change.
The Department of Player Safety is going to scrutinize two kinds of cross-checks for potential supplemental discipline: Cross-checks away from the puck to a vulnerable area of an opponent, and cross-checks delivered the back while a player is skating towards the boards at a significant speed, causing a collision. In the case of the first, there’s an element of intent to injure. In the case of the second, the results of the plays can be accidental, but Player Safety will still ring them up for being reckless.
The players I spoke with weren’t as uniformly in agreement about suspending for cross-checks as they were about increasing the frequency of penalties for them.
Stone actually winced when I mentioned possible suspensions.
“I don’t know if it’s that dangerous. There are definitely other things I’ve like to see them crack down on as far as supplemental discipline, compared to cross-checking,” he said.
New York Islanders forward Anders Lee takes his share of cross-checks in front of an opponents’ goalie, but didn’t believe that suspensions for them were a necessity.
“I don’t think you see it enough to really need it. But Player Safety are the ones that have been focused on this. We just go out and play,” he said.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon was a little more open-minded about it. “I guess it all depends on the severity of it. The refs have a tough job in judging the severity of it,” he said.
The refs’ jobs can’t be ignored here. Whenever the NHL gets a bee in its bonnet about a rule that needs to be emphasized, it falls to the referees to not only enforce it, but act as an ambassador between hockey operations and the baffled players wondering how something that wasn’t getting called in previous seasons has now left his team shorthanded.
“A rule change is tough on the refs, too. They’ve been looking at the game and we’ve been playing that game for a long time. To change it in a quick flash … that can’t be easy,” said Lee.
It won’t be easy for a couple of months. Referees will send a conga line of cross-checkers to the penalty box. Coaches will rant, either because something that should be called wasn’t, or because something that used to not get called was. General managers will yell over the phone at Player Safety head George Parros for having their player made an example during an early-season suspension.
Then the penalties will wane. Player Safety will have set its standard. And we move on.
“I think it takes a little bit. In the preseason, it gets called to the max. And then it lessens as the season goes on,” said Lee.
I know some of my media colleagues believe that cross-checking is a scourge on the league. I think using your stick to ward off an attacker, or to create separation from a defender, is part of the game. I have zero tolerance for a zero-tolerance policy here. Everyone does it.
“Standing in front, I might appreciate it if they’re cracking down,” said Lee. “But you’re jockeying for position, I’m sure there are times when I’ll have to do it too.”
Whether it crosses into illegality is, unfortunately, a judgment call. It’s about the placement of the stick. The force behind the cross-check. And, the trickiest part: whether or not the player on the receiving end of the lumber embellished for effect.
I don’t envy the officials tasked with redrawing that line this preseason. It’s like the NHL has told them what a strike looks like, but it’s still their strike zone. But they’ll call the penalties, the players will adjust, and we’ll just ride it out until the playoffs … where we won’t have to worry about anything being called, cross-checking or otherwise.
Jersey Fouls
From the flaming tables of Buffalo:
Jersey foul? pic.twitter.com/923FTwz3d5
— TS Sabres (@tshockeypodcast) September 11, 2021
This is a Frankenjersey that combines two Nos. 26: Rasmus Dahlin of the Sabres and Devin Singletary of the Bills.
Typically, Frankenjerseys follow a Harvey Dent-like construction, with a split down the middle. This one … well this one is chaos. Obviously a Jersey Foul, but you have to respect the craft and the apparent passion for Rasmus Dahlin.
Three things from the NHL Player Media Tour
1. Jared Spurgeon is considered one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL. He’s worn the crown of “analytics darling” for several seasons. So I asked him if he was aware of that status.
“I don’t really pay attention to that,” he said.
Uh-oh.
“I don’t really follow analytics or anything. Keith Ballard once told me that stats are for losers … unless you have good ones,” he said.
You’re going to break the stat geeks’ hearts, Jared.
“You can say otherwise if you want,” he said, with a laugh.
2. I watched my colleague Kevin Weekes have a long and interesting chat with Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, and really liked what I heard. Doughty’s 31 years old now. He has a Norris Trophy, two Stanley Cups and two Olympic gold medals. The problem is that all of that was accomplished by 2016, and it’s now 2021. He no longer wants to rest on his laurels.
“Everything I’ve done has been in the past now. I’m not happy with where I’m at in my present. So I need to get back to that,” he said.
I asked Doughty about the Kings’ rebuild. About whether there’s a peek of light at the end the tunnel, as players like himself and Anze Kopitar aren’t getting any younger.
“Yeah, we’re starting to see it. We haven’t put it on ice. We’ve only put it on paper right now. But I’m looking forward to seeing it on the ice. We’re going to be way better this year. There’s no doubt in my mind,” he said, emphatically.
3. Every year at the Players Tour, the NHL’s best and brightest play the media’s reindeer games. We ask them silly questions. We have them do silly things. None sillier than Sportsnet’s bit where they have players attempt to draw their team’s logo, which gifted us this Roman Josi classic:
We challenged Roman Josi to draw the @PredsNHL logo in 60 seconds.
This is art. 🎨 pic.twitter.com/V9zECKRJAG
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 16, 2021
I don’t know if that’s a Predator. Or a manatee. Or if a manatee is in fact a predator. I just know art when I see it. And I see it, Roman.
Winners and losers of the week
Winner: Columbus Blue Jackets
Winger Zac Rinaldo and assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre aren’t exactly irreplicable. Sending the player to the AHL and firing the coach because they refused to get vaccinated isn’t the team taking a monumental stand, especially given how the NHL’s protocols would impact their respective jobs.
But that doesn’t diminish the impact of president John Davidson taking this moment to say that “everything we do, we do together as a team” in a week where some significant players opted not to get vaccinated, despite the ramifications on their seasons and that of their team. True of hockey. Wish it were true outside of hockey.
Loser: Tracking the 1%
I made several calls this week chasing down names that I heard from NHL sources were among the unvaccinated. Some were inaccurate rumors. Some players had voiced concerns about the vaccine earlier this year, before getting the jab in order to play in 2021-22 without restrictions. I can’t articulate how wretched it is to have this be part of our preseason coverage, when it shouldn’t need to be after all these months. But here we are.
Winner: Kirill Kaprizov
Congrats to the most electrifying player in Minnesota Wild history, which is no small feat considering the sample size. Five years and $45 million is about right for a player of his talents. The average annual value might seem high now, given he’s only 55 games into his NHL career. But if he keeps on having “The Ovechkin Effect” on that market, it’s a deal that’s going to age well.
Loser: Future cap of the Wild
The 2023-24 Wild have seven players under contract and just $28 million in open space under the current salary cap, with Kaprizov’s salary added to the $14,743,588 in dead cap space created by the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Talk about “win now…”
Winner: Seattle Kraken
As I mentioned in my story this week, the Kraken are setting records for jersey sales. But dig this: On Fanatics retail platforms, the Kraken sold more merch on their launch day than the Vegas Golden Knights sold for the first two months combined after their merch launch in 2017. Beware the Kraken, indeed.
Loser: The Coyote Head
Outside of Phil Kessel and relocation speculation, the Kachina logo is the most notable thing about the current incarnation of the Arizona Coyotes. Your time is done, Coyote Head. Long live the Kachina.
Winner: Sibling agents
Gotta love Matthew Tkachuk and Jack Hughes helping out their brothers in contract talks. Hughes defended Quinn from critics, telling Tim and Friends that he deserves the money he should get and that “when you play on one of the worst teams in the division and in the league that’s bound to happen.” (Speaking from experience?)
Tkachuk, meanwhile, got candid about brother Brady‘s talks with the Ottawa Senators while on Sportsnet’s “31 Thoughts” podcast. “Brady might be … he’s doing great. He might be pulling a classic Tkachuk right now. Dad held out, Matthew held out, and Brady looks like he’s on his way right now. So hopefully it can get figured out here. But it’s just a lot of fake stuff out there regarding this. They’re not too close,” he said.
Loser: The inevitable
There’s zero chance that the Hughes brothers and the Tkachuk brothers don’t all eventually play on the same team respectively. I mean, the St. Louis Blues already have nameplates ready for Matt and Brady within the next five years, right?
Puck headlines
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Enjoyed this from Arpon Basu of The Athletic on Jonathan Drouin and “an important brand of courage” after going public with his battle with anxiety. “Simply by talking about his experience publicly, by acknowledging what he went through and showing people it is possible to take a step back, to ask for help, has already made Drouin a mentor for so many, not just hockey players.”
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All’s well that ends well, but the Islanders should have listened to Butch Goring on Zdeno Chara.
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Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas on not trading away his core players: “We would have been different, and maybe that would provide some cover and appease the masses, a little bit, but we wouldn’t be better.”
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Interesting story on Bear Hughes, a Washington Capitals prospect from Idaho. “His real name: Cassius Hughes, but he’s always been Bear. In fact, he didn’t know that his name was Cassius until elementary school, when after hearing his mom call the school and tell them Cassius will be absent, asked who that was. It was him.”
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The top 15 players from the NHL prospects tournaments. “What a steal Guenther is going to end up being for Arizona.”
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A deep dive into goalie Linus Ullmark, who appears to be the man between the pipes for the Boston Bruins. “When Boston came knocking, it felt right, it just felt very right.”
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In praise of Nick Suzuki: “The fact that some pundits have penciled him in as a possible alternate for the wildly stacked Team Canada at the 2022 Olympics speaks volumes. Not only is he a legitimate first-line centre, he’s seen as having all-world potential.”
From your friends at ESPN
Victoria Matiash offers advice on how to win your fantasy league this season. “With only a handful of performers responsible for carrying the weight of several categories, your fantasy squad needs consistent play from between the pipes.”
With less than two months left before college football is back in full swing, we’re taking a look at players who could be considered sleepers — under-the-radar players who could make a big impact — on each team in our post-spring top 25.
From true freshmen who could make a name for themselves to players coming back from injury to transfers looking to make an immediate impact, there are plenty of players to watch for this fall.
Our reporters break down the potential sleepers they’re keeping tabs on.
Sleeper: C Nick Dawkins
Offensive linemen naturally get overlooked, and Dawkins is no exception, but he once again will occupy a vital role as Penn State chases its first Big Ten title since 2016 and its first national title since 1986. Dawkins is at the heart of an offensive line that has stabilized and excelled in recent years. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last fall, when he served as a captain, started all 16 games and allowed only two sacks. The 6-foot-4, 297-pound senior has drawn excellent reviews from the staff and will lead a line protecting quarterback Drew Allar and creating space for running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. — Adam Rittenberg
Sleeper: WR Tyler Brown
One of the reasons Clemson is expected to compete for a national championship this season is the return of its stellar receiver group, which made vast improvements a year ago to help the Tigers offense rediscover its footing. Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore have received the bulk of the headlines nationally, but don’t forget about Brown, a freshman All-American in 2023 who was forced to take a redshirt last season with an ankle injury. Coach Dabo Swinney spoke highly about Brown during spring practice and is expecting him to have a big role in the offense. Adding depth to a position that had been a weak spot until last season is crucial. — Andrea Adelson
Sleeper: TE Jack Endries
Endries had a breakout season at Cal last year, catching 56 passes for 623 yards and two touchdowns, making him less of an off-the-radar prospect. But the former Golden Bears tight end signed with Texas in April and slides into a talented Longhorns offense. With star recruits Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore returning at receiver, 1,000-yard rusher Quintrevion Wisner back at running back with Cedric Baxter and Christian Clark returning from injuries alongside him, Arch Manning will have weapons. But Manning singled out Endries, a former walk-on, as someone who could emerge as a household name by season’s end as he solidifies a position of need after Gunnar Helm, who caught 60 passes for 786 yards and seven TDs last year, developed into a fourth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans and Amari Niblack transferred to Texas A&M. — Dave Wilson
Sleeper: RB Bo Walker
Walker wasn’t the most heralded prospect in Georgia’s most recent recruiting class, but he turned some heads in spring practice with his physical style and speed. Walker ran for more than 2,000 yards as a high school junior before spending his senior year at a smaller private school. Nate Frazier and Illinois transfer Josh McCray will probably be the top two backs entering preseason camp, but Walker has a chance to earn playing time. Would you expect anything less from a tailback named both Bo and Walker in the SEC? — Mark Schlabach
Sleeper: WR Carnell Tate
Tate was overshadowed by first-round pick Emeka Egbuka and true freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith last season. But Tate still played a key role for the Buckeyes, starting every game for the national champions. In the playoff semifinals against Texas, he made the Longhorns pay for their coverages taking away Smith by hauling in a game-high seven passes for 87 yards. With Egbuka gone to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tate is set to play an ever bigger role for the Buckeyes as a junior. He could easily surpass the 52 receptions and 733 receiving yards he had last season, and he should be a valuable wingman to Smith in yet another talented Ohio State receiving corps. — Jake Trotter
Sleeper: WR Barion Brown
If you’re familiar with Brown from his high school days, you may not consider him a sleeper. But the Kentucky transfer could finally reach his full potential in Baton Rouge. After a standout freshman season in Lexington, he never made the big statistical leaps many expected. But with Garrett Nussmeier at quarterback and other talent at receiver (Aaron Anderson, Oklahoma transfer Nic Anderson) and tight end (Trey’Dez Green, Oklahoma transfer Bauer Sharp), perhaps Brown can break out in 2025. — Harry Lyles Jr.
Sleeper: DL Bryce Young
With Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III leaving for the NFL, the Fighting Irish are looking for another player who can rush the quarterback. The answer might be sophomore Bryce Young, who certainly looks the part at 6 feet, 7 inches and 273 pounds. Last season, he played in all 16 games and had 23 tackles with a team-high three blocked kicks. Young has the right potential too. His father, Bryant Young, was an All-American at Notre Dame and a Pro Football Hall of Famer after a standout career with the 49ers. His mother, Kristin, ran track and field for the Fighting Irish. — Schlabach
Sleeper: WR Malik Benson
It’s difficult to call a four-star wide receiver a sleeper, but given the kind of season Florida State had last year, Benson was not exactly the talk of the sport after putting up 25 catches for 311 yards and one touchdown. Now in Eugene, Benson has the tools to be exactly the kind of wideout that flourishes in Will Stein’s offense. With a new quarterback in Dante Moore taking the reins and Evan Stewart dealing with a serious injury, I wouldn’t be surprised if Benson becomes Moore’s top target this coming season. — Paolo Uggetti
Sleeper: S Bray Hubbard
Now in his third season in the program, Hubbard is poised to be an All-SEC caliber player and will team with a healthy Keon Sabb to give Alabama one of the best safety duos in the SEC. Hubbard, who chose Alabama out of high school over Mississippi State, Navy and Tulane, started the final six games a year ago after Sabb suffered a season-ending injury against Tennessee and made a name for himself with three interceptions. Look for Hubbard in 2025 to be one of the top names on Alabama’s defense. — Chris Low
Sleeper: RB LJ Martin
After rushing for 518 and 718 yards in the past two seasons, Martin has steadily become a key player for BYU, but he hasn’t quite broken out nationally. He already figured to see his role grow as a junior in 2025, but with quarterback Jake Retzlaff set to transfer, Martin could be relied on more heavily — especially early in the season as the QB situation gets settled. Martin had a pair of 100-yard rushing games last season and finished with a strong performance in the bowl win against Colorado, with 88 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. — Kyle Bonagura
Sleeper: S Miles Scott
Miles Scott isn’t even the most decorated Scott in the Illinois secondary — Xavier (no relation) earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2024 — but contributes to a unit that could be among the Big Ten’s best this fall. Miles had two interceptions last season and finished fifth on the team with 55 tackles (33 solo). The team captain also forced and recovered a fumble last fall. Scott has played in all 38 games during his Illinois career, starting the past 25, beginning his career as a walk-on wide receiver before moving to safety. He joins his roommate Xavier Scott, leading tackler Matthew Bailey, cornerback Torrie Cox Jr. and others in one of the nation’s most experienced secondaries. — Rittenberg
Sleeper: CB Nyland Green
The Arizona State defense returns eight starters, including both cornerbacks (Keith Abney II and Javan Robinson) — the Sun Devils are blessed with continuity on that side of the ball that most top-25 teams don’t have. But that makes cornerback Nyland Green one heck of a luxury add: The Purdue transfer, who started his career as a blue-chipper at Georgia, was an all-or-nothing playmaker with an overwhelmed Boilermakers defense last year, but in more select roles, with better experience and talent around him, he could turn into a major difference-maker for the defending Big 12 champs. — Bill Connelly
Sleeper: Edge Bryan Thomas
Much of the attention within the Gamecocks’ pass-rush depth will be centered on sophomore phenom Dylan Stewart and Charlotte transfer Demon Clowney, cousin of former two-time All American Jadeveon Clowney. But as South Carolina works to replace the production of 2024 SEC sack leader Kyle Kennard, fourth-year edge Thomas will have an important role to play as well. The 6-foot-2, 247-pounder logged career highs in sacks (4.5) and total tackles (23) a year ago, and he’s poised to step into a starting role opposite Stewart this fall following Kennard’s jump to the NFL. If the Gamecocks are going to feature one of the nation’s fiercest pass rushes again in 2025, Thomas will have to be a big part of it. — Eli Lederman
Sleeper: DL Elijah O’Neal
O’Neal turned in a productive 2024 season, finishing with four sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss in what was expected to be his final season in Tempe. However, as a former junior college transfer, O’Neal benefited from the ruling that granted juco transfers an extra year of eligibility and will return for his final season with a chance to develop into a more well-rounded pass rusher. He started six games last year, and with the strong possibility of an expanded role, it wouldn’t be a surprise if O’Neal chases double-digit TFLs or sacks. — Bonagura
Sleeper: RB Derrick McFall
Aside from SMU’s game against FCS Houston Baptist, McFall got just eight carries as a true freshman in 2024, but he flashed a skill set that could make him an apt replacement for Brashard Smith in the Mustangs’ backfield. A four-star recruit, McFall is quick, elusive and versatile — a lot like his predecessor at SMU. At 5-11, 183 pounds, he’s still looking to fill out his frame a bit, but his explosiveness and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield figure to be serious weapons. More importantly, with Smith on to the NFL and LJ Johnson‘s transfer, McFall is the clear favorite to fill a major hole on SMU’s offense. — David Hale
Sleeper: DL Romello Height
A transfer from Georgia Tech, Height is not necessarily an unknown. But for as bad as the Texas Tech defense was last season (only Tulsa allowed more passing yards, and the Red Raiders allowed 35 points or more eight times), Height could play a massive role in Lubbock if he’s able to help fix what was a painful watch for Texas Tech fans at times in 2024. The more high-profile transfer on this defensive line unquestionably is David Bailey, who comes in from Stanford, but Height could very well become a name that Red Raiders fans will become familiar with given his potential. — Lyles Jr.
Sleeper: RB Roman Hemby
Stepping into a Hoosiers backfield without a settled returning starter, Maryland transfer Hemby has the opportunity to emerge as Indiana’s leader on the ground in 2025. Hemby hasn’t matched the 989-yard, 10-touchdown production he delivered in 2022 in either of his past two seasons, but the 6-foot, 208-pound rusher has averaged at least 4.5 yards per carry in each of his past three seasons and can be a threat in the passing game as well. Indiana spread its carries nearly evenly between top rushers Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton a year ago, and will likely do the same again with upperclassmen Kaelon Black and Lee Beebe Jr. also vying for carries. But Hemby has the potential to break through in a big way in 2025. — Lederman
Sleeper: Edge Tobi Osunsanmi
Kansas State returns four starters from last year’s defensive front six, but the Wildcats will need someone to replace the lost production of sacks leader Brendan Mott (13.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks). Enter Tobi Osunsanmi. The converted linebacker played a backup role last season, averaging about 22 snaps per game, but he actually averaged more havoc plays (TFLs, forced fumbles, passes defended) per snap than Mott — a 3.0% rate to Mott’s 2.5%. Between Osunsanmi and sophomore Chiddi Obiazor (2.5% havoc rate at 23 snaps per game), K-State has a couple of exciting options on the edge up front. — Connelly
Sleeper: LB Myles Graham
We saw what Graham was capable of as a freshman for the Gators with 30 tackles. He also had three tackles for loss, one sack, an interception and a forced fumble. With a line that should only be stronger in front of him, along with playing next to Grayson Howard, Graham has the potential to take another step in 2025. The great Florida teams of the 21st century have all had good linebacker play, and it feels like Graham could play that part for this team as it looks to rise again. — Lyles Jr.
Sleeper: CB Zeke Berry
From Mike Sainristil to Will Johnson, Michigan’s dominant defenses in recent years have featured a big-time cornerback. Berry is primed to become the next one, on the heels of a breakout junior season. After starting the year at nickelback, Berry slid to the outside following an injury to Johnson and thrived. Berry finished the year with 37 tackles and a team-high 11 pass breakups. He also forced a fumble to go along with his two interceptions. If Berry can take another step forward as the leader of the Michigan secondary, he quietly figures to be one of the top corners in the Big Ten — if not the country. — Trotter
Sleeper: S Zechariah Poyser
You may have heard of Poyser, one of the top available players in the transfer portal this past season. But he should still be considered a sleeper because of the impact he is projected to have in his first year with the Hurricanes. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound safety played his first two seasons at Jacksonville State, earning Freshman All-America honors as a redshirt freshman this past season with 75 tackles and three interceptions. His addition gives the Hurricanes an instant upgrade at safety, where they struggled at times last season. Miami made other additions at defensive back in the portal, but safety was the most glaring area of need and it appears to be filled. — Adelson
Sleeper: S D’Angelo Hutchinson
The Cardinals struggled against the pass last season, and they’ll enter 2025 with a markedly different secondary that comes with its own share of questions. But one carryover from 2024 could help provide some answers. Hutchinson, a 6-foot-3 senior, saw action in all 13 games last season and came on strong down the stretch, including a standout performance in a win over Clemson in which he racked up nine tackles, two pass breakups and a blocked kick. Hutchinson brings length and speed to the back end, and head coach Jeff Brohm said he thinks the veteran could be in line for a breakout campaign. — Hale
Sleeper: CB Tyreek Chappell
Chappell returns after missing almost all of last season with an lower leg injury suffered in a non-contact setting in practice, making just three tackles. The Aggies’ secondary play was particularly frustrating to Mike Elko as last year wore on, and the return of Chappell, a former starter who was a three-star recruit and the team’s top defensive newcomer in 2021, is a key to the Aggies’ hopes of bolstering that unit. With the return of Will Lee III and the addition of Georgia transfer Julian Humphrey, Chappell, who had 88 tackles in his first two seasons, but just 24 in the past two, might be overlooked by fans. But inside the program, Chappell is expected to have a big year at the nickel spot. — Wilson
Sleeper: WR Cayden Lee
It’s odd to classify Lee as a sleeper following his breakout sophomore campaign in 2024, but hype around the third-year pass catcher has been buried this offseason amidst the Rebels’ additions of five transfer receivers, headlined by De’Zhaun Stribling and Harrison Wallace III. Lee finished second among Ole Miss receivers a year ago with 57 receptions, which he converted into 874 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. As the Rebels enter a new era at quarterback in 2025 with first-year starter Austin Simmons, Lee has the potential to become a critical, go-to target, particularly if he can find the end zone more. — Lederman
Sleeper: WR Zion Kearney
The Sooners were besieged with injuries at the receiver position last season, and some of their more talented pass catchers hit the transfer portal, including Nic Anderson. With new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and his Air Raid offense coming to Norman, that means Oklahoma will utilize even more receivers. Kearney, a true sophomore, has a chance to make a big jump after playing as a backup in 11 games as a freshman. He has the size (6-1, 207 pounds) and speed (4.28 40-yard dash in high school) to be a staple in the Sooners’ passing game, especially with John Mateer stepping in at quarterback. — Low
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Kristen Shilton
The Vancouver Canucks have come to terms with forward Brock Boeser on a new seven-year contract, carrying a $7.25 million AAV.
Canucks GM Patrik Allvin announced the deal on Tuesday during the first hour of NHL free agency. Boeser, 28, was an unrestricted free agent on a previously expiring contract.
Drafted by Vancouver 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL draft, Boeser has collected 204 goals and 434 points in 554 games with the Canucks to date. A top-six scoring threat, Boeser has elite playmaking skills and the potential to produce big numbers offensively. He had his best year offensively in 2023-24, producing 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games.
Boeser didn’t hit those marks again last season — settling for 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games — but was still second amongst teammates in output. He also plays a prominent role on Vancouver’s power play and when he can generate opportunities at 5-on-5, he is a true difference-maker up front for the Canucks.
The extension is a happy ending for Vancouver and Boeser. When the regular season ended, Boeser admitted “it’s tough to say” whether he’d be back with the Canucks. Boeser reportedly turned down a previous five-year extension offer with the club and Allvin subsequently looked into deals for him at the March trade deadline, with no takers. Boeser looked — and sounded — poised to explore his options on the open market.
Ultimately, Boeser decided to stay put by committing the best years of his career to the Canucks.
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