Baseball’s next superstar? Bobby Witt Jr.’s rise to MLB’s top tier
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
THE MAGNIFICENCE OF Bobby Witt Jr. manifests itself on nearly every square inch of a baseball field. His swing is short and to the point, like the man himself, and it thwacks balls from foul pole to foul pole, often past them. His glove and arm are pocket aces — individually excellent, together almost unassailable. His legs, though, offer the greatest splendor, the apex of the Bobby Witt experience, which is unlike anything in baseball.
Witt, who turned 24 Friday, is the shortstop for the Kansas City Royals, the biggest surprise in baseball. They own the eighth-best record in the game (41-32) after going 56-106 last season, and the signature win of their season came a week before Witt’s birthday. The Seattle Mariners, who occupy first place in the American League West, built an 8-0 lead. Kansas City chipped away, and up came Witt in the bottom of the eighth inning with the deficit shaved to 9-8 and a runner on second.
Before stepping into the batter’s box, he had looked on the inside of his helmet, where he had written reminders on how to summon the best version of himself. See the ball. Stay loose. Be on time. They are the sorts of things that allow him to be present, something he picked up when he realized the mental element of baseball can help mobilize the physical. On a hanging 0-2 splitter from Ryne Stanek, Witt sizzled a ball down the third-base line. And then he started to run.
Less than 11 seconds later — 10.98, to be exact, because every hundredth of a second deserves mention when you run like a sprinter — Witt’s right hand touched third base. Going from home plate to third base in under 11 seconds takes the sort of physical aptitude rarely seen in baseball, and it would’ve been even faster had Witt not launched himself into the air with a head-first slide into the bag. Two minutes later, he zoomed home and scored the winning run, securing the third-largest comeback in the Royals’ 56-year history.
On the field afterward for a postgame interview piped through Kauffman Stadium’s speakers, Witt managed to sum up the night aptly: “What do y’all think? Pretty fun?” The crowd responded by serenading Witt with one word, over and over: “Bobby, Bobby, Bobby, Bobby… “
To his family, Witt is Junior, and to his teammates just Bob. To everyone else, he’s Bobby, an earned mononym in his third season in the league.
Nobody in baseball runs as fast as Witt (as the Mariners can attest). Nobody, according to FanGraphs, has provided more defensive value this year. Only Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto have hit more balls 95 mph or harder. Witt has thrust himself to the forefront of best-of lists across the game. Best shortstop? Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Gunnar Henderson and Witt. Best player, under 25? Henderson and Witt. Best player, period? All of the above, plus Aaron Judge, Soto and Ohtani.
Sound unlikely? Consider this: Since the end of July 2023, Witt has been the best player in baseball, according to FanGraphs WAR. In his past 128 games, Witt slashed .325/.372/.573 with 25 home runs, 96 RBIs, 105 runs, 41 steals and 7.9 wins. More than Judge (7.2), Soto (6.9), Betts (6.9) and Henderson (6.7), the next four over that stretch.
All the tools were there when Witt debuted two years ago, but to see them turn into skills so quickly suggests the sort of trajectory that can carry the Royals to heights unseen in nearly a decade. Since they won the World Series in 2015, the Royals haven’t had a winning season and have lost at least 103 games three times. Witt believed enough in the franchise’s offseason — in which Kansas City guaranteed more than $100 million to free agents — to sign an 11-year, $288.8 million contract extension in February.
“When I get attached to something, I love it,” Witt said. “I enjoy it and I try to make the most of it. Try to see how I can make it better in ways that I feel like other people may not be able to. Just try to make everyone the best they can possibly be.”
Before he could do that, Witt needed to make himself the best he can possibly be. And that evolution started two years ago, on a perfect Kansas City spring day.
April 7, 2022
INSIDE A SUITE down the first-base line at Kauffman Stadium, Bobby and Laurie Witt were watching the culmination of their baby boy’s hard work. It was Opening Day, and Kansas City royalty were down the hall in another suite to see Junior’s major league debut, including the just-crowned NCAA men’s basketball champion Kansas Jayhawks and the city’s mayor, Quinton Lucas. The most recognizable of all poked his head into the Witt suite in the fourth inning and asked: “Can I come in?”
Of course, they told George Brett. He was Laurie’s favorite player growing up and is still the lone Hall of Famer in Royals history. Brett has long been the prototypical Royal, and to see Witt batting second and playing third base — Brett’s position — felt positively symmetrical.
“And that’s the thing,” Brett said that day. “I don’t want to put any pressure on him. It’s hard enough to play in the big leagues. So many players get here and they don’t know what they’re doing. But he’s different. He’s a natural.”
Witt’s ascent took no one by surprise. By his sophomore year at Colleyville (Texas) Heritage High, he was his class’ No. 1-ranked player in the nation. A year later, he won the High School Home Run Derby. Six months after that, he secured a gold medal and international tournament MVP for a Team USA that included two more future major league shortstops (Anthony Volpe and CJ Abrams), three outfielders (Corbin Carroll, Riley Greene and Pete Crow-Armstrong) and a No. 2 overall pick (Dylan Crews). The only thing that kept Witt from going to Baltimore with the first pick in the 2019 draft was Adley Rutschman, who’s going to make his second All-Star team this year.
Kansas City gladly snatched Witt with the second pick, and when COVID-19 hit in 2020, the Royals invited him to their alternate site to monitor his development. Having just turned 20, Witt was the best player in the camp — 6-foot-1, 200 pounds of quick-twitch goodness with the brain of someone who grew up in baseball clubhouses. Not with his dad, a 16-year MLB veteran who retired a year after Witt was born, but with his brothers-in-law, as all three of his older sisters married big leaguers, a Sequoia of a baseball family tree.
In early August 2020, former New York Mets ace Matt Harvey went to the alt site to build up his pitch count after signing a minor league deal with the Royals and faced Witt, who battled him through an at-bat that lasted more than a dozen pitches. When he finished the inning, Harvey went into the dugout with a gobsmacked look.
“Who the hell is that kid?” he asked. “He looks like he’s 12.”
That’s Bobby Witt Jr., he was told.
“Well, whoever he is,” Harvey said, “he’s pretty good.”
He was more than pretty good. Witt won every minor league player of the year award in 2021 and was so good in spring training in 2022 that the Royals couldn’t send him down. All of that promise showed up in his first game against Cleveland. He smoked a ball 110.4 mph. He busted nearly 31 feet per second down the first-base line. He fired a ball nearly 90 mph across the diamond. And in the bottom of the eighth inning, he yanked his first hit, a go-ahead double, into the left-field corner, giving him a game-winning RBI in game No. 1.
They chanted “Bobby, Bobby, Bobby, Bobby” that day, and they did it again two days later when in the 10th inning Witt dove to snag a ball hit down the third-base line, swiveled and made a seemingly impossible, off-balance throw to nab Owen Miller at the plate. It was Witt’s 20th professional game at third, and he was making the sorts of plays reserved for Brooks Robinson and Nolan Arenado.
When asked about the play following the game, Witt demurred and deferred credit to catcher Salvador Perez (whose swipe tag was impressive, sure, but paled compared to the throw). It became a recurring theme throughout his rookie season. On the day of Witt’s first major league home run, he was asked to do the postgame interview and responded, “What about M.J.?” Fellow rookie MJ Melendez had gotten his first major league hit that day, and Witt wanted him to get his shine, too.
“This is what I’ve been working for my whole life,” Witt said in 2022, “and I’ve got to go out there, be myself, have fun, enjoy it, take it all in, and just try to be the best teammate I can be, the best person I can be on the field and off the field so my teammates respect me.”
Witt finished his first big league season with 20 home runs, 30 stolen bases and a stranglehold on the shortstop position, which he took over when Adalberto Mondesi got hurt. Witt struck out too much and didn’t walk enough, but the Royals figured he was gifted enough to make the necessary physical adjustments. More than the exit velocity or speed or arm strength or soft hands, team officials marveled at how little Bobby Witt Jr. concerned himself with Bobby Witt Jr.’s accolades. The selflessness, the deflection, the humility — that, more than anything on the field, served as the foundation of who he could become.
Or, as one Royals staffer put it, all Junior wants to do is use good manners and play baseball with his friends.
July 28, 2023
OVER THE FIRST month of the 2023 season, Witt struggled to do much of anything right. He was 9 for 60 in the last two weeks of April. The Royals were 7-22 when the calendar turned to May. Something needed to change. So on May 1, only the third off-day of the season, Witt summoned his personal hitting coach, Jeremy Isenhower, to guide him through the struggles with an impromptu session at Premier Baseball, a facility tucked away in an industrial park in suburban Kansas City.
“The more I hit, the more I feel things, the more I feel like I get better,” Witt said. “So it’s just figuring out little things — what felt right, what felt wrong, what was I doing that wasn’t right? Just try to simplify everything. That was at the time where I was struggling a little bit, but then also starting to figure some things out.”
Witt’s bugaboos were high fastballs and early-count swings. He didn’t tinker with his mechanics, though. He rarely does. Witt’s best chance at adjusting to high fastballs was cranking up a pitching machine to feed him 105-mph invisiballs. He paired them with sliders that moved more than any human arm is capable of producing.
“I try to do things in the cage that are almost harder than in the game,” Witt said. “Whether it’s more velocity just to try to get me out of my swing and to make me feel uncomfortable, if I speed up the game in the cage, then when I get out to the actual game, it’s even slower.”
The day after his session with Isenhower, Witt homered. He went deep again three games later. Consistency still eluded him in May, but by the time June rolled around Witt started to feel more comfortable with his altered approach. In July, he started punishing fastballs in the upper third of the zone, including the one on which he put one of the most magnificent swings of the 2023 season across baseball.
On July 28, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning and a full count, Jhoan Duran, the flamethrowing Minnesota Twins closer, started a 101.8-mph four-seam fastball over the middle of the plate and in the upper third of the strike zone. It ran 10 inches, boring in on Witt, just off the inside edge of the plate. Witt swung and met the ball out front, crushing it to left field for a walk-off grand slam.
The last time a big leaguer pulled a pitch that fast for a home run had come more than a year earlier. Turning on 102 mph and squaring it well enough to send it over the fence takes a rare skill set. For all of the natural gifts, Witt’s willingness to work, to avoid settling, defines him. Whether it was his weakness with the fastball or improving his mental game — he started a daily meditation routine midseason last year in addition to the scrawlings inside his helmet — Witt’s expectations consistently exceed the sky-high external ones.
“It’s such a special persona,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s humble, but it’s confident. People respect him. When a guy like Bobby earns the respect of a guy like Sal so quickly in his career that speaks to the person he is and the reason you would want to build around him.”
From the day of the Duran enervation through the end of the 2023 season, Witt batted .323/.369/.598 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs in 56 games. He ended the year with 5.9 wins above replacement, cut his strikeout rate in half, upped his walk rate and turned from a mediocre defender at shortstop to one of the best in Major League Baseball. What the Royals believed he would be when they drafted him, what Brett thought he saw on the day of the debut, Witt was now demonstrating. Nobody in MLB history had at least 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in each of his first two seasons until Witt. This, the Royals believed, was simply the beginning. And they knew what they needed to do.
Feb. 6, 2024
ON THE DAY he signed one of the biggest contracts in baseball history, Witt showed up at Kauffman Stadium wearing a blue suit that matched the Royals’ City Connect uniform and powder blue shoes, an homage to the 1980s Royals that invigorated the city. It was a Kansas City outfit for a Kansas City day.
“This is a great day in Royals history,” Royals general manager J.J. Piccolo said, “and really Kansas City history.”
In September, Royals owner John Sherman asked to meet with Witt and his father, who became an agent after retiring in 2001. He wanted to understand Witt’s priorities, make clear that he intended to spend in free agency over the winter and explain that he planned to make a long-term extension offer, which the team did at the winter meetings in December. The sides traded proposals for the next two months before settling on a structure outlined by assistant general manager Scott Sharp that allowed Witt to opt out of the deal after the 2031, 2032, 2033 and 2034 seasons but still guaranteed him the second-most money for a player under 25, behind Fernando Tatis Jr.’s 14-year, $340 million deal in February 2021.
When the news of Witt’s contract broke, his phone lit up. Congratulations flooded in. At one point, he looked down and appreciated what greeted him.
“It was four texts, back-to-back,” Witt said. “[Patrick] Mahomes, Dustin Pedroia, Mike Trout and then Zack Greinke.”
The best quarterback in the world, one who jumped on the bandwagon early, seeing in Witt the sort of talent the rest of the world sees in Mahomes. A former American League MVP. A three-time AL MVP. And a future Hall of Fame pitcher who spent his final two seasons as Witt’s teammate.
“I think,” Witt said of Greinke’s text, “he said something like, ‘Yikes, I would’ve signed that contract, too. Congrats.'”
The Royals knew they needed to pay Witt closer to free agent value compared to some of the other team-friendly deals signed by his peers. As much as Witt loved the embrace of Kansas City, the losing exasperated him. Signing this deal was a gamble for Witt, even after Sherman kept his word and guaranteed more money in free agency this winter than his previous four years owning the team combined. The magnitude of the deal likewise spooked the Royals, whose revenues pale compared to bigger-market teams. Each side found comfort in their discomfort.
“You give those long-term contracts — there’s a ton of risk in that,” Quatraro said. “But the organization — rightfully so, in my opinion — feels like those risks are very minimal with a guy like Bobby because of his upbringing and the way he handles himself. He sidesteps those derailers or those landmines pretty well.”
Witt’s parents and his fiancée, Maggie Black, grinned throughout the news conference. His comfort informed theirs. It was almost as if he understood what was coming — the 9-4 start, the eight-game winning streak in May, holding their own against the best teams in baseball. While they went 5-7 in their most recent two-week stretch against four first-place teams — Seattle, Cleveland, New York and Los Angeles — the Royals held possession of the second wild-card slot in the AL and still have the seventh-best run differential in MLB at plus-61.
“We’ve just got to prove ourselves right, we don’t have to prove anyone else wrong,” Witt said. “We just got to see what we’re made of.”
It has Kansas City imagining where the team will be a few months from now. In less than four months, the MLB playoffs begin, and Witt wants nothing more than to be there. His teammates see it, and they’re beginning to hear it as well — the inner competitor in Witt coming out, everyone’s success the accelerant.
“The way he prepares himself is everything,” Perez said. “He’s super humble. But he likes to compete, play hard, run hard. He can hit a groundball to the pitcher and he’ll still bust his ass to first base. That tells you what kind of player he is. I’ve got a lot of respect for everybody here, bro. I hope they look at him and try to be like him. Players at that age have the ability to come to the ballpark and get ready in 10 minutes. He takes his time, he takes care of his body, he knows what he wants to do. I think he’s the best player I’ve ever played with in this organization.”
For Perez, a highly respected eight-time All-Star, to so deeply embrace someone who was 11 years old when Perez debuted speaks to Witt’s ability to ingratiate himself. He leads with good manners and follows up with the production — this year an AL-best .327 batting average, 96 hits and 59 runs, plus a .928 OPS, 11 home runs, 51 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.
“Now his edge is proving to himself and to everyone else that he’s got that next level,” Quatraro said, “that he can be the best at this level for years to come.”
For a city that’s home to Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Witt is surprisingly ubiquitous. One day he’ll show up at a local elementary school and the next on a new billboard. He stumped for a new Royals stadium — which failed in an April election — and almost assuredly will do it again, this time from the perch of a winner. He signs autographs every day. He does the sorts of things the centerpiece of a franchise ought and does them without complaint.
Though why would he? Life is good for Bobby Witt. He coined a phrase earlier this year — “The boys are playing some ball” — that caught on among fans and has been turned into a T-shirt. He’s getting married in mid-December. He’s smack in the middle of the AL MVP race with Judge, Soto and Henderson. He is far from the final version of himself, closer to a nascent product than a finished one.
“The first two years I’m trying to figure out where’s my place, but now I know that this is where I’m going to be and it feels great. It feels right,” Witt said. “Knowing my role, knowing my job, not trying to step on toes still, but then also knowing I’m very comfortable.
“I look at this offseason [like I] committed to two big things. I got engaged, so committing to Maggie, and then committing to the Royals. I’m going to give my all to both of them and just show up each and every day with a smile on my face, be myself and go out and have fun. Enjoy it. Enjoy it while it lasts for sure.”
The first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs has heated up, and the end of many series is approaching. How many teams will move on with clinching games Wednesday night?
There are two potential elimination games on the docket. First up is Montreal Canadiens–Washington Capitals (7 p.m., ESPN), with Alex Ovechkin & Co. on the verge of sealing the deal over the Habs.
Staggered just 30 minutes later is the possible final game of the 2025 edition of the Battle of Florida (7:30 p.m., ESPN2). Will the Florida Panthers get win No. 4, or can the Tampa Bay Lightning draw the series to 3-2?
Finally, the St. Louis Blues visit the Winnipeg Jets (9:30 p.m., ESPN) in a series that sits at 2-2 following the first four, including major intrigue as leading Vezina Trophy candidate Connor Hellebuyck continues to struggle in goal.
Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, recaps of what went down in Monday’s games, and the Three Stars of Monday Night from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals
Game 5 (WSH leads 3-1) | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Historically, teams that have a 3-1 series lead have gone on to win the series 90.8% of the time in Stanley Cup playoff history. The Capitals’ record in that scenario is 8-5, which is 62%.
Cole Caufield is taking many shots. His 21 shots on goal are the second most in the playoffs (trailing Nathan MacKinnon, with 31), and he has had 11 shot attempts blocked, which is tied for second most in the playoffs, behind Jack Eichel.
Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson is the sixth first-year blueliner in playoff history to record at least five assists in his first postseason series, joining Ray Bourque (1980), Janne Niinimaa (1997), Erik Karlsson (2010), Marc-Andre Gragnani (2011) and Quinn Hughes (2020).
Alex Ovechkin has scored the most goals in NHL regular-season history, and he is 13th on the all-time playoff list with 75. His next will tie Mario Lemieux for 12th.
Anthony Beauvillier is the first player in Capitals history to record an assist in each of his first four playoff games with the club, and the fourth with at least one point, following Dave Christian (five GP in 1984), Adam Oates (four GP in 1998) and Mike Knuble (five GP in 2010).
Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning
Game 5 (FLA leads 3-1) | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2
In the 2025 playoffs, home teams have a 23-10 record. That script has flipped in the Battle of Florida series as the road team has won three of four games.
The Panthers are 5-0 all time when leading a playoff series 3-1, closing out three of the previous series in Game 5. The Lightning are 1-5 all-time in a best-of-seven series when trailing 1-3.
Lightning forward Jake Guentzel is tied with Brad Marchand for the fourth most playoff goals since 2017 (40), behind Nathan MacKinnon (51), Leon Draisaitl (44) and Brayden Point (44).
Andrei Vasilevskiy has been doing his part: He allowed five goals combined in Games 2-4 (.936 save percentage) after allowing six goals in Game 1 (.647).
Matthew Tkachuk is tied with Nate Schmidt for the Panthers’ goal-scoring lead this series (three), and has 20 in 48 career playoff games with Florida; that is third most in franchise history, behind Sam Reinhart (22 in 59) and Carter Verhaeghe (27 in 65).
With each game and win, Sergei Bobrovsky adds to his lead in each category since the start of the 2023 playoffs (47 games played, 31 wins).
St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets
Game 5 (series tied 2-2) | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has encountered another postseason rough patch. He allowed 11 goals combined in the past two games, and has now allowed four-plus goals in 10 of 14 starts the past three postseasons. That is a 71% rate, and his regular-season rate for that same stat is 17% in the same three-season span.
After starting the series hot — with five points in the first two games, both wins for the Jets — Mark Scheifele has been pointless in the two losses in Games 3 and 4. Kyle Connor has been just slightly better, with four points in the first two and just one goal in the ensuing two.
Although the Jets outshot the Blues 31-23, Jordan Binnington was up to the task in Game 4, stopping all but one. Overall this postseason, Binnington has a .907 save percentage and 2.29 goals-against average. In the Blues’ Stanley Cup run in 2019, he finished with a .914 save percentage and 2.46 goals-against average.
In-season trade addition Cam Fowler is playing in his first postseason since 2017, and he’s making up for lost time, leading the Blues with eight points (one goal, seven assists) through four games. Fowler’s career-high postseason point total was 10 in 16 games in the 2015 playoffs.
Arda’s three stars from Tuesday night
Ullmark recorded his first career playoff shutout, becoming the second goalie in Senators franchise history (with Craig Anderson) to secure a shutout in a potential elimination game.
Two goals, including the overtime winner, to cap a three-point night to send the Hurricanes to the second round with a 5-4 win. The Canes scored three goals in four minutes in the second to tie the game after going down 3-0 early. This was Aho’s 10th career postseason power-play goal, which ties Eric Staal for the franchise record.
Tkachuk and Stutzle are the first Senators teammates to have three points when facing elimination in franchise history. They’ll get another chance at it Thursday at home.
Tuesday’s scores
Ottawa Senators 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 0
TOR leads 3-2 | Game 6 Thursday
Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark faced questions heading into this postseason, as his playoff career performances had not been up to par with his regular-season success. On this night at least, he was stellar. Ullmark stopped all 29 shots the Maple Leafs directed at him, and the Senators got goals from Thomas Chabot and Dylan Cozens, with empty-netters by Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk capping the evening. Full recap.
0:32
Dylan Cozens doubles lead for Senators in Game 5
Dylan Cozens’ goal in the third period gives the Senators some breathing room in Game 5 vs. the Maple Leafs.
Carolina Hurricanes 5, New Jersey Devils 4 (2OT)
CAR wins 4-1, plays winner of WSH-MTL
It was a wild one Tuesday night in Raleigh, with eight goals between the two teams through two periods. The goalies shut it down for 40 minutes thereafter, with the teams going scoreless in the third period and first overtime. It wasn’t until 4:17 of the second OT when Sebastian Aho scored the game- and series-winning goal. Full recap.
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Sebastian Aho slots in a goal for Hurricanes
Sebastian Aho answers with the Hurricanes’ fourth goal of the second period to tie the game 4-4 vs. the Devils.
Vegas Golden Knights 3, Minnesota Wild 2 (OT)
VGK leads 3-2 | Game 6 Thursday
The teams traded a pair of goals early on the same Minnesota power play — William Karlsson scoring short-handed and Kirill Kaprizov notching the power-play tally — and Mark Stone capped off the first period with a goal at 13:24. The score would remain 2-1 Knights until 3:31 of the third, when Matt Boldy tied things the game at two. The Knights needed just 4:05 of the first OT period to score the game-winner off the stick of Brett Howden. Full recap.
1:09
Brett Howden nets OT winner for Golden Knights to seal Game 5
Brett Howden’s close-range snap shot finds the back of the net to win it in overtime for the Golden Knights and claim a 3-2 series lead vs. the Wild.
Edmonton Oilers 3, Los Angeles Kings 1
EDM leads 3-2 | Game 6 Thursday
After wins in the first two games of the series, the Kings are now looking up at the Oilers — the team that has beaten them the past three postseasons. The Kings were on the board first via an Andrei Kuzmenko power-play goal in the second, but Evander Kane would tie things up less than three minutes later. The eventual game-winner came off the stick of Mattias Janmark 7:12 into the third, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added an empty-net goal to put the game further out of reach. Full recap.
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Mattias Janmark puts the Oilers ahead in the 3rd
Mattias Janmark scores off the rebound to give the Oilers the lead in the third period vs. the Kings.
Will the Presidents’ Trophy curse claim a new victim this year?
For the past 11 NHL seasons, the winner of the trophy — awarded to the team with the most regular-season points — has failed to win the Stanley Cup. In fact, none of the last 11 Presidents’ Trophy winners have even played in the Stanley Cup Final.
All told, of the 38 seasons when the trophy has been awarded, just eight of its victors have also lifted the Stanley Cup. With the Winnipeg Jets‘ series against the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs knotted at two games apiece, could the curse be looming large again?
Here’s a look at the eight squads the Jets will be hoping to emulate that defied the curse:
Chicago Blackhawks, 2012-13
The most recent team to take home both the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks earned the regular-season crown in a campaign that didn’t start until January due to lockout. Patrick Kane would go on to earn Conn Smythe Trophy honors after a postseason in which he posted nine goals (tied for second on the team) and 10 assists (third on the team).
Detroit Red Wings, 2007-08
Winning the Central Division by an impressive 24-point margin, the Red Wings bolstered the best goals-against record in the league and raced to an impressive 115-point regular season. Henrik Zetterberg, the team’s top goal scorer in the regular season, won the Conn Smythe after a 27-point postseason.
Detroit Red Wings, 2001-02
Not to be outdone by their franchise counterparts six years later, the Red Wings turned in a regular season that not only saw them win the Central Division by 18 points, but top the overall league standings by a 15-point margin as well. The Conn Smythe went to Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidström, capping off the third of his three Stanley Cup triumphs in Detroit.
Colorado Avalanche, 2000-01
Combined with the Red Wings’ subsequent title, Colorado’s Stanley Cup win marks the only time in league history teams won both the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in back-to-back years. Goalkeeper Patrick Roy was awarded his third Conn Smythe — a record that still stands today.
Dallas Stars, 1998-99
Dallas led the league in goals allowed, a trend that continued into the postseason. In just one of the Stars’ 12 postseason wins did the team concede more than two goals. Centers powered the squad’s offense — Mike Modano’s 81 regular-season points led the team by a sizable margin, while Joe Nieuwendyk earned the Conn Smythe.
New York Rangers, 1993-94
After the regular season saw the Rangers beat local rivals the New Jersey Devils to both the Atlantic Division crown and the Presidents’ Trophy, New York’s postseason didn’t lack for rivalry thrills either.
The Rangers met New Jersey in the Eastern Conference finals, coming away victorious in a seven-game series that featured three games decided by double overtime. New York’s subsequent Stanley Cup Final series with the Vancouver Canucks would go seven games as well, with Conn Smythe winner Brian Leetch scoring the opener in the decisive final game.
Calgary Flames, 1988-89
The 1988-89 NHL season was all about Calgary and the Montreal Canadiens, who posted 117- and 115-point regular seasons respectively — no other team in the league amassed more than 92. Fittingly, the two squads met in the Stanley Cup Final, where the President Cup champion Flames bested Montreal again, topping the Canadiens in six games. Defenseman Al MacInnis racked up 24 postseason assists en route to Conn Smythe honors.
Edmonton Oilers, 1986-87
Led by Wayne Gretzky at his peak, Edmonton raced to a 106-point regular season as Gretzky led the NHL in goals, assists and plus/minus as he earned his eighth Hart Trophy. Unsurprisingly, Gretzky was a driving force in the Oilers’ postseason march as well — he totaled 29 assists as Edmonton won its third Stanley Cup in what would end up being a run of four Cups in five years for the franchise.
Following two transfer portal windows and the NFL draft, college football fans might need Apple AirTags to track where their favorite players wound up.
This space is dedicated to those who decided to stay — commitments who boosted their teams’ College Football Playoff hopes. Penn State’s 2022 recruiting class could take up half the list: quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and defensive tackle Zane Durant are all back from the Nittany Lions’ CFP semifinal run.
“When we all committed here coming out of our ’22 class, that was one of our goals coming in as Penn Staters, we wanted to compete for championships, both Big Ten and obviously national championships,” Allar said. “And obviously we had a taste of that last year, and we know how close you are, so it’s just building off that and trying to make another run at it.”
Here’s a look at 13 players from 11 schools and representing five different leagues whose decisions to either forgo the NFL draft or sidestep the portal have beefed up their respective teams’ playoff chances.
The decision: Forgo the 2025 NFL draft
What his return means: Nussmeier, a fifth-year senior, and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan are entering their second season together and aiming to improve upon a stellar debut, which will help the Tigers contend for the SEC title. Nussmeier threw for 4,052 passing yards last year, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Even if LSU can’t win the league, Nussmeier’s return can help the Tigers earn an at-large CFP bid — especially if he makes a similar jump to his predecessors, Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels, who both won the Heisman Trophy in their second seasons in Baton Rouge. Nussmeier’s dad, Doug, will be nearby as the Saints’ offensive coordinator after winning a Super Bowl as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach. With four new starters on the Tigers’ offensive line, there’s going to be an adjustment period, but if the “Nuss Bus” gets the time he needs, this should be a breakout season and his draft stock will rise with LSU’s playoff chances.
2. Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
The decision: Forgo the 2025 NFL draft
What his return means: Penn State has something Ohio State and Oregon don’t — a starting quarterback with playoff experience. The Nittany Lions might finally have the pieces in place to return to the top of the Big Ten and contend for a national title. Allar, who’s entering his third season as the starter, will be surrounded by NFL talent on the offensive line and in the running game, and could make a case to be Penn State’s first Heisman Trophy winner since John Cappelletti in 1973. Last season, he had 3,327 passing yards, the third most in a season in school history. With a second season under coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, and more options at wide receiver — plus a still-loaded tight end room — there will be no shortage of options for Allar to push the ball downfield more.
The decision: Forgo the 2025 NFL draft
What his return means: On paper, Clemson has enough offensive firepower returning to elevate the Tigers into a deeper CFP run than their first-round exit in 2024 and they should have the Heisman-contending quarterback the program has desperately missed. Klubnik leads a Clemson offense that is No. 1 in the FBS in returning production (81%), according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly. Klubnik reestablished himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the country following a down season in 2023. Last year, his 308 completions, 3,639 passing yards and 36 passing touchdowns all ranked among the best seasons in program history. As he enters his third season as a starter under offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, Klubnik’s understanding of the offense and his relationship with Riley has grown, positioning Klubnik for what should be his best season with the Tigers.
4. Nicholas Singleton/Kaytron Allen, RBs, Penn State
The decision: Forgo the 2025 NFL draft
What their return means: The nation’s best running back duo returns intact, and they’ve got playoff experience along with familiarity and knowledge of the offense in coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s second season, all of which should boost the Nittany Lions’ hopes of winning the Big Ten and returning to the CFP. Singleton and Allen were projected by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. to be the Nos. 5 and 6 running backs available in the 2025 draft after becoming the first combo in Penn State history to each have at least 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. Penn State ran for more than 200 yards in 10 games last season, and the Nittany Lions led all Power 4 teams and Notre Dame in rushing with 3,237 yards. Of course, it helps to have 6-foot-4, 350-pound offensive guard Olaivavega Ioane blocking.
The decision: Avoid the transfer portal
What his return means: Sellers absolutely drew interest from other teams in November and December, but he re-signed quickly with the Gamecocks — and his commitment could be the difference between receiving or not receiving a CFP bid. The same can be said for edge rusher Dylan Stewart, who also attracted attention after 10.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks last year. South Carolina made a playoff case with Sellers leading the offense last year, but the CFP selection committee didn’t rank the No. 15 Gamecocks high enough for inclusion. He improved throughout the season last fall, increasing his Total QBR from 52 in his first six games to 81 over the last six. This year, he’ll be working with Mike Shula, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula.
The decision: Avoid the transfer portal (twice)
What his return means: Illinois can be a CFP sleeper team by competing for the Big Ten title and earning an at-large bid if it doesn’t win the league. The importance of Illinois retaining its starting quarterback after a strong spring push from Tennessee can’t be understated. The Illini have a chance to be this year’s Indiana — a Big Ten contender with a manageable schedule that can play its way into the selection committee’s rankings with a standout quarterback and his supporting cast. After public speculation he might transfer for his final year of eligibility, Altmyer announced in December he would return to the team. He did it again in April, following the drama at Tennessee. Altmyer passed for 2,543 yards, 21 touchdowns and only five interceptions last year, leading Illinois to a 9-3 regular season and a top-20 ranking in the Associated Press poll.
The decision: Avoid the transfer portal
What his return means: K-State can win another wide-open Big 12 race and earn an automatic bid into the playoff as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions. Johnson never entered the transfer portal, but he attracted interest, especially after Tennessee lost Nico Iamaleava. “We got a damned wall built around him,” a K-State source told ESPN. “They better bring the Tennessee National Guard.” Expectations will be higher this year for Johnson, who threw for 2,712 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his first full season as a starter last year. He also had 605 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. With the depth at wide receiver, K-State’s passing game could flourish this fall.
The decision: Forgo the NFL draft
What his return means: A veteran offensive line that includes four returning starters from a group that allowed the third-fewest sacks in the SEC last season (20). It also means better protection for quarterback DJ Lagway, who could be one of the best in the country if he can stay healthy — and Lagway’s health is the most critical component to Florida’s success this year. According to Pro Football Focus, Slaughter allowed one sack, one QB hit, six QB hurries and eight pressures — with only three penalties — in 728 snaps. The Gators again have one of the toughest schedules in the country, and Slaughter is the kind of veteran they need up front to help Lagway survive it.
The decision: Forgo the NFL draft
What his return means: That the Buckeyes didn’t lose everyone from their national championship defense. Styles had an outstanding 2024 season with 100 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and five passes defended. His draft stock rose as the Buckeyes ascended through the CFP bracket, but he told reporters at their national championship celebration that he “wasn’t ready to leave yet.” Styles still has room to improve and grow, and his draft stock will continue to rise. He’s now in a position of leadership as one of just three returning starters on defense and the most experienced player among the rising seniors.
The decision: Forgo the NFL draft
What his return means: The Ducks retained a 6-foot, 175-pound receiver who played a key role in advancing them to the top seed in the 2024 CFP, and they’ll need his help again — especially with the departure of Tez Johnson, who entered the NFL draft after leading Oregon with 83 receptions for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns his senior season. Stewart is Oregon’s only returning receiver who had more than 30 receptions in 2024. Stewart, who transferred to Oregon from Texas A&M, had 48 catches last season for 613 yards and tied for the team high with five receiving touchdowns. He was Oregon’s second-most targeted receiver in an offense that finished 13th nationally in passing yards. Stewart’s role will increase, and his decision to return will help the Ducks’ new starting quarterback, which could be former UCLA QB Dante Moore.
The decision: Forgo the NFL draft
What his decision means: The Longhorns have leadership, playoff experience, NFL talent and a familiar face returning to a defense that again has to replace multiple starters from the previous season. Taaffe, a rising senior who ascended from walk-on to All-American, had 71 tackles, 6 TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, 10 passes defended, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. His decision to return was driven in large part by the desire to win a national title at Texas and the devastation he said he felt following the loss to Ohio State. Taaffe will get another chance at the Buckeyes in the season opener.
The decision: Withdrew name from portal
What his return means: The Broncos were able to retain top talent from their 2024 CFP run, which featured one of the nation’s top defensive fronts, a huge boost for coach Spencer Danielson as he tries to own the Group of 5’s guaranteed spot as one of the nation’s five highest-ranked conference champions. Fely took visits to Miami and Cal before announcing on social media he planned to return to Boise. Fely, who spent the past three seasons at Boise State, started 28 games in the past two seasons. He had nine TFLs last year and 5.5 sacks.
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