There's definitely something different with the reverse hit in 24 vs the leg kick in previous years. I can't recall ever unintentionally doing a leg kick in previous NHL games but in about a dozen games in NHL 24 I've done the reverse-hit two or three times ( in total, not per game ) when I'm just trying to move my stick.
This is definitely on me. Each time after the animation happens I've noticed that I've clicked the stick, but it's odd that it's suddenly something that's much more noticeable. The reality is that we've all probably been clicking that stick button more than we thought and will have to adjust.