Are there any enforcers/goons left in the NHL?

[Gnome17]

Reaves is without question a goon. He produces zero offensive output.

With this logic Loui Eriksson is a goon

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Compared to your average NHL defenseman or forward.


Beer league, haha. If you don't think John Scott would have completely dominated any beer league game (both offensively and defensively) you're out of your mind.

The beer league part was a joke.

But if you think Scott was better than average compared to the average NHL defenseman or forward you're the one who's out of his mind.

There's a reason he played 7 minutes a game. We're talking about a few shifts per period. He was a facepuncher because he was basically a redwood tree on skates. Nothing more.

 

[Amazinmets73]

The beer league part was a joke.

But if you think Scott was better than average compared to the average NHL defenseman or forward you're the one who's out of his mind.

There's a reason he played 7 minutes a game. We're talking about a few shifts per period. He was a facepuncher because he was basically a redwood tree on skates. Nothing more.

His value was primarily derived from his size. Analytics show he was above average. Terrible offense, obviously.

 

[StephenPeat]

Compared to your average NHL defenseman or forward.


Beer league, haha. If you don't think John Scott would have completely dominated any beer league game (both offensively and defensively) you're out of your mind.

John Scott was not good at any single aspect of the “game” he employed.

At his size, if he was even a passable skater, he could have played an angular defensive game and been better than average based on his span with his stick in defensive lanes regardless of actual skill. Alas, he was horrible.

He could have been a good open-ice hitter, again horrible.

He was also possibly the worst “Enforcer” in the modern NHL in terms of actually Winning/Losing fights.

The John Scott experiment was an abject failure the likes of which the NHL has not seen in some time.

 

[StephenPeat]

Ryan Reaves is a better hockey player than most 4th liners and some 3rd liners. Dude can skate and pass pretty well. In another life he's probably a Lucic style but for now he's more of a banging two way forward imo

Ryan Reaves sucks and has that elusive quality that he makes every team he goes to a Loser.

Goes to Penguins, Loser.
Goes to Golden Knights, Loser.
Goes to Rangers…..I’m sure it’ll work out this time. SMFH.

If Ryan Reaves is on your Third Line just punt the season.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

John Scott was not good at any single aspect of the “game” he employed.

At his size, if he was even a passable skater, he could have played an angular defensive game and been better than average based on his span with his stick in defensive lanes regardless of actual skill. Alas, he was horrible.

He could have been a good open-ice hitter, again horrible.

He was also possibly the worst “Enforcer” in the modern NHL in terms of actually Winning/Losing fights.

The John Scott experiment was an abject failure the likes of which the NHL has not seen in some time.

Scott was only in the NHL because he was 6'8" 280 lbs and was an okay skater for his enormous size. And I agree he wasn't a particularly good fighter. He just had an enormous size advantage to most people he fought.

Scott was a poor man's Derek Boogaard.

 

[4thline]

Compared to your average NHL defenseman or forward.


Beer league, haha. If you don't think John Scott would have completely dominated any beer league game (both offensively and defensively) you're out of your mind.

There are 100% (non-contact) beer leagues where Scott would be nothing special, same with some contact senior leagues. He and players of his ilk are the exceptions that prove the rule that every NHL player is beyond belief better than every non-NHLer.

He was below mediocre in both junior B and NCAA

 

[Heg82]

The John Scott debate reminds me about when Andrew Peeters decided to play for Boden during the 04-05 lockout, he even sucked bad in Hockeyallsvenskan (second tier). But i would put John Scott a bit higher than Andrew Peeters on a hockey skills chart.

It just doesn't make sense anymore to waste a spot even on the 4th line on a pure face puncher.

 

[StephenPeat]

Scott was only in the NHL because he was 6'8" 280 lbs and was an okay skater for his enormous size. And I agree he wasn't a particularly good fighter. He just had an enormous size advantage to most people he fought.

Scott was a poor man's Derek Boogaard.

Absolutely not.

Derek Boogaard was revered and respected. He was an absolutely elite fighter that other “Enforcers” feared. You make a mistake in a fight with Boogaard, your career could be over. Make a mistake in a fight with John Scott and you might have accidentally knocked him out.

John Scott was a Broke Ass Man’s Jesse Boulerice.

 

[Puckstop40]

Ryan Reaves is a better hockey player than most 4th liners and some 3rd liners. Dude can skate and pass pretty well. In another life he's probably a Lucic style but for now he's more of a banging two way forward imo

Well at least he went back to playing like that. Outside of 2019-2020 season, where he was playing as you described, he was not doing shit for the Knights.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

I'm surprised it took until the last post of the page for Desaluriers to get a mention. Easily one of the best heavyweight scrappers in the league, and has become a solid enough player to skate a regular 4th line shift. They even played him with Zegras for a few games - it didn't really work but speaks to the respect Deslauriers has earned.

D-Lo! He's a great player to have during a tank year, I'd take him back in a heartbeat. I thought forsure he'd be in the AHL by now but props to him for having a nice career

 

[MarkusKetterer]

There are 100% (non-contact) beer leagues where Scott would be nothing special, same with some contact senior leagues. He and players of his ilk are the exceptions that prove the rule that every NHL player is beyond belief better than every non-NHLer.

He was below mediocre in both junior B and NCAA

You should know that Scott was a defenceman until the AHL. There’s a reason in the old NHL games he had a high defensive awareness (same with Deslauriers).

 

[4thline]

You should know that Scott was a defenceman until the AHL. There’s a reason in the old NHL games he had a high defensive awareness (same with Deslauriers).

I do know. And what i said stands