5 NHL enforcers not to mess with ahead of 2023/24 season ft. Ryan Reaves

By Cole Shelton

Modified Aug 09, 2023 15:37 GMT

The enforcer was a prominent position in the NHL, as teams would have a fighter to protect their star players and help police the game. However, as teams started to go with more skilled players, those types of players are becoming more and more rare.

There are still enforcers in the NHL, and here are five that players shouldn't mess with:

#1, Arber Xhekaj

Arber Xhekaj came out of nowhere last season for the Montreal Canadiens and he became a fan favorite.

Xhekaj is a physical defenseman who isn't afraid to lay out big hits and be involved in scrums after the whistle. Xhekaj got a reputation as an enforcer as he got into several fights and wasn't afraid of anyone, and would fight the so-called heavyweights in the NHL.

Entering his second season, Xhekaj no doubt has more respect in the game and likely won't be someone players try and pick on.

#2, Patrick Maroon

Patrick Maroon is big as he is listed at 6-foot-3 and 234 lbs. He had 150 penalty minutes last season.

Maroon is no stranger to trash-talking and throwing his body around to make hits. He is a fourth-liner for a reason but did get into 12 fights last season as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He was traded to Minnesota this off-season as Maroon will continue to be one of the game's best enforcers.

#3, Tanner Jeannot

Tanner Jeannot is a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning

Tanner Jeannot was acquired by the Tampa Bay Lightning at the deadline to add some more size and psychical play to the lineup and he did just that.

Last season, Jeannot recorded 107 PIMs and at 6-foot-2 208 lbs he isn't afraid to use his size to his advantage. He's always near the top of the league in hits thrown and as we saw in the playoffs when he does drop the gloves he can cause some serious damage as he cut Luke Schenn wide open.

#4, Nicolas Deslauriers

Nicolas Deslauriers is bringing back the Broad Street Bullies as he is a member of the Philadelphia Flyers and led the NHL in fights last season.

Deslauriers is 6-foot-1 and 220 lbs and had 136 penalty minutes last season. He had 14 fights, two more than Pat Maroon. Last season was sort of a breakout campaign for him as he proved to be a tough guy and someone players started to not mess with after seeing how he dominated in fights.

#5, Ryan Reaves

Ryan Reaves may not fight as much as he used to but he is still number one on this list.

Reaves signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs to serve as protection for the Leafs' stars. At 6-foot-2 and 225 lbs, Reaves is one of the bigger players and always finishes his checks.

It has now gotten to a point that Reaves doesn't even need to fight anyone in the NHL. Instead, he can just go by the bench and let the other team know what will happen and that usually ends everything.