Every year at the NHL draft, we hear the same trope about players who are under six feet tall:

• Will their game translate to the NHL level?

• Will they be too small to play against big forecheckers and win net-front battles?

• Are they special enough to make their size moot?

We heard those refrains about Alex DeBrincat, Cole Caufield, Brad Marchand, Brayden Point, Jared Spurgeon, Adam Fox, Torey Krug, and the late Johnny Gaudreau. Each of those players went on to be impactful NHL players because their skill outshone their size.

In 2022, we heard similar things about Lane Hutson. After sitting in NHL scouting meetings during the 2021-2022 season, I can tell you that Hutson was the subject of much debate. He was far and away the most skilled defenseman in the draft, but many scouts questioned whether he would be able to accomplish his feats at the NHL level, with a few scouts placing bets against him. One scout said, "if he was 6-2, he'd be a top-5 pick."

That scout will remain unnamed, but suffice to say, Hutson would be a top-5 pick, without question, if there was a redraft three years later.

Here's how the Canadiens rookie sensation proved all the doubters wrong, and what Montreal has in him for the future.

JUST HOW SKILLED is Lane Hutson? He leads all rookies in scoring, and his 58 assists are the most for any rookie since Mathew Barzal, a forward, recorded 63 in 2017-2018. Hutson is the offensive catalyst for Montreal, ranking third among NHL defensemen with 5.45 shot assists per game.

This should not be a total shock. In the season prior to being drafted, playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program, he led draft prospects in many offensive categories tracked by Stathletes, including many transition categories.

Flash forward to 2024-25, and Hutson ranks second in the NHL for end-to-end rushes by a defenseman, behind past Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes and ahead of current favorite Cale Makar. He sparks Montreal's transition offense with his ability to transport the puck, ranking in the top 10 in the NHL in carried zone exits and zone entries -- a direct translation from his tracked statistics throughout his draft year.

It is reasonable to assert that if a defenseman's skating ability is as special as Hutson's, and his transition numbers are elite in his draft year, it will translate to the NHL level. His skating is nothing short of extraordinary, and puts him in the same category as Hughes and Makar, by far the best skating defensemen in the sport.

According to Stathletes, based on passing alone, Hutson ranks third in expected goals created among defensemen, with 17.29 this season. He is ranked fourth in passes completed to the slot, the most dangerous area of the ice, and eighth in cross-ice passes completed. It is likely that Hutson would rank even higher had Montreal's coaching staff given him the reins to the top power-play unit earlier in the season.

Not only is Hutson a tremendous facilitator of the puck -- and will be one of the best offensive catalysts from the blue line for years to come -- but he also creates for himself. Hutson ranks third among all defensemen in scoring chances per game with 1.24, per Stathletes. He's able to create chances with excellent edgework and patience. He is fourth among blueliners in offensive zone possession time per game, and third in possession time per game. The others in the top 5 are Hughes, Makar, Zach Werenski and Rasmus Dahlin, which is elite company.

Montreal's rise in the standings to a playoff position is directly linked to Hutson's improved defensive play. Prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off, Hutson was minus-15. He is plus-14 since, and it is no coincidence that his improved defensive impact has coincided with the Canadiens' rise in the standings. While plus-minus is most definitely not the be-all, end-all analysis of a player's defensive value, it is one indicator.

There were numerous situations in the first half of his rookie season where defensive lapses were costly, and there are legitimate concerns about Hutson's ability to defend at the NHL level. To combat this, Hutson has leveraged his skating ability in defensive transition, which has led to less time spent in the defensive zone and fewer scoring chances given up.

DEFENSEMEN HAVE A longer, more arduous development path, and are more prone to costly errors as they adjust to the NHL level. This is especially true for players that play significant roles -- Hutson is averaging nearly 23 minutes per game -- and possess the puck as frequently as Hutson does. Players who have the puck more will make more mistakes.

Defensemen with the most turnovers in the NHL include the likes of Erik Karlsson, Evan Bouchard, Zach Werenski and Thomas Harley. It's not because they are irresponsible with the puck, but because they have the puck more often, which increases the opportunity for turnovers. Turnovers per puck possession time or some function of that would be a better evaluator of how responsible a player is with the puck than just the total.

Hutson has turned the puck over his fair share of times, but his offensive prowess and ability to create scoring chances heavily outweigh the turnovers. Outside of his improved transition defense, Hutson has improved in the defensive zone. He takes more efficient paths allowing him to contain bigger offensive players, uses his outstanding edgework to keep players in outside positions. He has also simplified his puck play to reduce turnovers on breakouts.

The combination of those improvements has led to decreased defensive zone time and scoring chances against. Hutson has been winning the scoring chance battle since February, and as he continues to develop, that will be a key statistic to monitor. While Hutson is one of the NHL's best defensemen at scoring-chance creation and offensive play, the real development will come if he consistently tilts the ice in Montreal's favor over the balance of all scoring chances that occur while he's on the ice.

The season Hutson is having is nothing short of remarkable, and is historic. He ranks second in assists by all NHL defensemen, and is fourth in points. Hutson has been involved in 27% of Montreal's goals this season, a number that would be excellent for any defenseman, let alone a rookie. Dustin Wolf and Macklin Celebrini had high-quality rookie campaigns, but Hutson has separated himself as the league's best first-year player.

Sophomore slumps are expected, particularly for defencemen, but Hutson was an exception to the "size" rule, and it should not surprise anyone if he is an exception to the "sophomore slump" rule, either.

Hutson is a top offensive defenseman in the NHL, and teams will start to scheme against him, as they do Makar, Hughes and Fox. If Hutson can continue to win the scoring-chance battle despite that, there is a real chance Montreal has one of NHL's top-5 defensemen for years to come.

Tottenham Hotspur have had an ongoing problem all season with someone from within the club leaking information to the press before games, manager Ange Postecoglou said on Friday.

Spurs were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday, and the manager spoke out after team news had been leaked before the game.

"There's no doubt we've got a leak inside the club. Someone continues to leak out information and they have all year," Postecoglou told reporters ahead of Sunday's Premier League game at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"I don't know why. It doesn't help us. We've narrowed it down. I've got a fair idea where it's coming from. We will deal with it.

"It certainly doesn't help us on game days. It's sometimes half-truths and sometimes more. You'd like to think that everyone within our camp is working with us rather than against us."

With not much time to recover before Sunday's game, and the second leg to come next week in Germany, Postecoglou is likely to make some changes to the side against Wolves.

"It's a bit of a combination with Thursday in mind, but Sunday in mind as well," the manager said.

"It was a big physical toll [on Thursday] and Wolves away is also a challenging game. For us, it will be about managing minutes of some of the players, but also getting some minutes into other players.

"We'll need a big game, a big performance on Sunday, so having some fresh legs will help, but also looking to next Thursday, it's not about resting guys or managing guys, it's also about having guys ready."

The club announced that Vinai Venkatesham will join the Spurs' board as CEO this summer. Venkatesham, former Arsenal CEO, was part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and is a non-executive director of the British Olympic Association.

Spurs are 14th in the standings on 37 points, while Wolves are 17th, with a 12-point cushion over the relegation zone.

Former Arsenal CEO Vinai Venkatesham will cross the north London divide to take up the same role at rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.

Venkatesham spent 14 years at Arsenal, working in various capacities before being named CEO in 2020. He stepped down from that role at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Sources told ESPN that Venkatesham's appoint is seen as a coup for Spurs. He was on Newcastle United's shortlist and also turned down multiple offfers before joining the north London side.

"I'm excited to be joining Tottenham Hotspur this summer. After taking some time to recharge and evaluate my options, I believe this is an exceptional opportunity to work with Daniel, the Board and all of the staff, to take the club forward," he said in a statement.

Venkatesham was part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and is a non-executive director of the British Olympic Association.

Spurs' executive chairman Daniel Levy said: "The club has experienced significant growth in recent years, making it crucial to expand our executive management.

"I have known Vinai for many years, having worked together in the Premier League and the ECA. I am personally delighted that he has agreed to join our Board as we build for success."

Information from James Olley contributed to this report.

HOUSTON -- Nickel cornerback Jalen Pitre and the Houston Texans have agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract extension with $30 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN.

The third-year safety out of Baylor finished the 2024 season with 65 tackles, six tackles for loss and eight pass deflections. One highlight play was in the Texans 34-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11, when he forced a fumble on Cowboys right tackle Tyler Guyton. That led to defensive end Derek Barnett scooping and scoring for a touchdown in the fourth quarter after Barnett had strip-sacked Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush.

Pitre's season was cut short in Week 12 when he injured his shoulder in the Texans' 32-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans when he tackled Titans wideout Tyler Boyd in the second quarter. At the time of the injury, Pitre ranked third on the team in tackles, tied for fifth in tackles for loss, and third in pass deflections.

This is the third defensive player this offseason to earn an extension with the Texans after cornerback Derek Stingley and Danielle Hunter agreed to massive contracts. Coach DeMeco Ryans said at the league's annual meetings that Houston wanted to send a "message" with these extensions.

"We want to send a message," Ryans said. "To all of our young guys, when you do it the right way, guys like Stingley, Nico, young guys who came in and played really well for us, they became top players in the league at their positions, you want to reward those guys."

Pitre's 2024 campaign was his second noteworthy season after having a standout rookie year when he finished with 147 tackles and five interceptions.

The Cleveland Browns and veteran quarterback Joe Flacco have reached agreement on a one-year, $4 million contract, his agent, Joe Linta, told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday.

The deal returns Flacco to Cleveland, where he won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023.

The contract can be worth up to $13 million with incentives. The Browns also announced an agreement with Flacco on Friday without disclosing terms.

Flacco also spoke with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings but opted to spend his 18th NFL season with the Browns. Co-owner Jimmy Haslam had told a group of local reporters at the NFL's annual meeting that Flacco remained an option for the team.

Flacco joins a quarterback room with Deshaun Watson, who is rehabbing after retearing his right Achilles tendon and could miss most or all of the 2025 season, and Kenny Pickett, who was traded to Cleveland and said he was told he would get a chance to be the starting quarterback.

The Browns have been searching for quarterback help this offseason after using four passers in 2024. Cleveland opted not to re-sign Jameis Winston, last year's backup, and traded for Pickett in the first week of free agency, sending the Philadelphia Eagles a fifth-round pick and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Cleveland holds the second overall pick in the 2025 draft and has met with several top quarterback prospects, including Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough. Haslam, though, said the team would not force a quarterback with its first selection.

Flacco was believed by some to be done with the NFL when no teams seriously considered adding him to their rosters for most of the 2023 season.

But in the aftermath of Watson's season-ending shoulder injury that season, the Browns signed Flacco and he provided a five-game stretch that rivaled any that the franchise has seen from a quarterback since returning to Cleveland in 1999. Flacco threw for over 300 yards in four straight wins -- the Browns went 4-1 in his five regular-season starts -- before the run came to an end in a loss to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.

That put him in position to be considered among the viable backup options in 2024, and the Indianapolis Colts added him as a veteran option behind Anthony Richardson on a one-year contract worth $4.5 million.

Flacco's 2024 season saw both highs and lows, with an early 359-yard performance in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars among the highs. Eventually, the struggles of Richardson and belief in Flacco prompted the Colts to insert the veteran as the starter in Week 9.

In the AFC playoff race at the time, coach Shane Steichen said he believed that Flacco gave the Colts the best chance to win. But then came the lows: Flacco, 40, threw a combined four interceptions in losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills, leading to his benching and the reinsertion of Richardson as the starter.

The Colts went 2-4 with Flacco as a starter last season. He finished with 1,761 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Selected in the first round of the 2008 draft by the Baltimore Ravens, Flacco has thrown for 45,697 yards with 257 touchdowns and 162 interceptions in 17 seasons. He was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII when he led the Ravens to victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Flacco is one of three quarterback that has a winning record with the Browns since their return, along with Brian Hoyer (10-6) and Case Keenum (2-0).

ESPN's Stephen Holder contributed to this report.

Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava did not attend spring practice Friday, sources told ESPN. Iamaleava's absence came as a surprise to coaches and players, according to sources.

Iamaleava has been in conversations with the Vols about a new contract.

On Thursday, On3.com reported that Iamaleava and the NIL collective at Tennessee were working on a new contract with the quarterback. Several other quarterbacks, including Miami's Carson Beck and Duke's Darian Mensah, have signed NIL deals for significantly more money this offseason and Iamaleava was looking to renegotiate his deal.

The situation has become a growing source of frustration among administrators at Tennessee and within the locker room, sources said.

The day before the winter portal window closed in December, sources told ESPN that Iamaleava's representatives wanted to renegotiate his deal in the $4 million range, but his deal was unchanged. He's expected to make $2.4 million with the Vols this year, sources said.

With the portal set to open next Wednesday, Iamaleava's representatives were again looking for $4 million, and sources told ESPN that Tennessee "wasn't going to blink and pay him any more money."

Iamaleava, the No. 23 overall recruit in the class of 2023, signed a then-unprecedented deal with Tennessee's NIL collective in 2022 that would pay more than $8 million over his college career when he committed to the program.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound passer redshirted in 2023 and threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns in his first season as a starter, leading Tennessee to 10 wins and a College Football Playoff appearance that ended in a first-round loss to eventual national champion Ohio State.

The Vols are scheduled to play their Orange & White spring game on Saturday.

Information from ESPN's Pete Thamel, Chris Low and Max Olson contributed to this report.

Cristiano Ronaldo has joined forces with British filmmaker Matthew Vaughn to launch an independent film studio.

The URMarv studio said in a statement it will focus on "embracing innovative technology, with a nod to tradition".

"And action! I'm excited to announce URMARV, my new film studio with Matthew Vaughn, and can't wait to tell you about our first movie. Coming soon!" Ronaldo said in a post on Instagram.

"Cristiano Ronaldo loves movies; Matthew Vaughn loves sport -- and they both love a good story," said a studio statement posted on Ronaldo's X account.

Vaughn, 54, is best known for producing Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch while also directing, producing and co-writing the "Kingsman" franchise.

"Cristiano has created stories on the pitch that I could never have written, and I look forward to creating inspiring movies with him -- he's a real-life superhero," Vaughn said in the same statement.

Ronaldo, who has captained Portugal to Euro 2016 glory and won five Ballon d'Or awards, is excited about the new project.

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A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano)

"This is an exciting chapter for me, as I look ahead to new ventures in business," the Al Nassr captain said.

Through URMarv, Ronaldo and Vaughn have already produced and financed two action films together and are to start a third in the same series.

"They look forward to announcing the first release soon," the studio statement added.

Ronaldo, who turned 40 on Feb. 5, ventured into the audio visual sector in 2023 when he became a shareholder of Portuguese media conglomerate Medialivre, although he already has a significant digital influence.

A former star of Real Madrid and Manchester United, he has more than one billion followers across all social media platforms.

Ronaldo has 651 million followers on Instagram, 171m on Facebook, 115.2m on X and 74.5m on YouTube.

He launched his YouTube channel, "UR Cristiano" in August 2024, becoming the fastest channel to hit 1 million subscribers.

A recent detailed study done by the Portuguese Institute of Administration and Marketing (IPAM) revealed that Ronaldo's brand value in 2025 stands at a record 850m.

"This milestone marks a growth of 325% since 2020 and highlights CR7's constant ability to reinvent himself and consolidate his position as one of the world's most valuable personal brands," the study said.

Two fans died on Thursday before the start of a Copa Libertadores match between the host Colo Colo and Fortaleza of Brazil near Santiago's estadio Monumental, a local prosecutor said.

According to authorities, a group of fans attempted to force their way into the stadium and tore down one of the venue's protective fences. The victims were reportedly trapped beneath them.

Later, the match was suspended at the 70-minute mark, with the score level at 0-0, when a group of local fans started a protest by throwing objects onto the pitch. It was unclear whether the protests were related to the fan deaths before the match.

The Eastern Flagrancy Prosecutor, Francisco Morales said that a group of fans tried to access the estadio Monumental through the Casa Alba, a building adjacent to the venue and the police tried to prevent them from entering.

"A stampede ensued, resulting in the collapse of a fence," Morales said. "We are currently investigating whether a police vehicle was involved in the death."

Authorities said one of the persons died at the scene and the other at a nearby medical clinic.

Match later suspended Later, the match between Colo Colo and Fortaleza was suspended at the 70-minute mark, with the score level at 0-0, when a group of local fans started a protest by throwing objects onto the pitch. It was unclear whether the protests were related to the fan deaths before the match.

The Fortaleza players ran for cover in the locker room, while the Colo Colo players, led by captain Esteban Pavez and Arturo Vidal, tried to calm the fans.

The refereeing team, led by Uruguayan Gustavo Tejera, informed the players that the match had been stopped, and all the players went to the locker room. Later, it was announced that the match was officially suspended.

"CONMEBOL deeply regrets the death of two fans near the estadio Monumental before the start of the match between Colo Colo and Fortaleza," the governing body of football in South America said.

"We express our sincere condolences to their families and loved ones."

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has said the club have put a lot of "effort" into extending Mohamed Salah's contract but admitted he has been confident for some time negotiations were heading in the "right direction."

Salah was set to be out of contract this summer, but Liverpool confirmed on Friday the Egypt international has now extended his stay on Merseyside until the summer of 2027.

Discussions have been taking place for several months, with sporting director Richard Hughes overseeing negotiations with Salah's agent, Ramy Abbas Issa.

"I'm happy, of course," Slot said. "He's shown at this club for so many years in a row now how much value he has for the team and for the club. We're very happy he's extended for two more years and hopefully he can show on Sunday [against West Ham United] how important he has been for the whole season for us.

"Relief? For the fans I think so. It's no surprise to you I knew a bit better how the contract situation went over the course of the whole season.

"Maybe for the fans it was a pleasant surprise. I knew a bit longer things were heading in the right direction.

"It is a big compliment to Richard Hughes because Mo Salah, as a free agent, can go to any club he wants to. But he stayed at our club and that's also a compliment for Richard."

On the role he played in keeping Salah at Liverpool, Slot added: "I'm part of that process but I don't think I deserve the compliments. I think first of all it's Mo's choice and his agent's choice what he wants. Second of all, the club - - FSG, Richard, Michael Edwards -- they put a lot of effort into him extending.

"Effort mostly means money! But also not only money. What it might tell you as well is that it's not only a good season this season. We want to make a very good season next season as well and I think Mo is convinced we have a fairly good chance to do so."