One of the biggest NHL debates right now is whether teams need enforcers anymore, and with the rise in concussions, there is an even bigger spotlight on fighting in the game of hockey. That is an argument for another day, but strictly speaking from a fantasy point of view, do you need to pick up fighters?

Enforcers are really only worth something in leagues that count penalty minutes (these will be denoted by PIMs), because they don’t offer much else for the most part and they don’t get that much ice time. A lot of teams don’t even carry enforcers anymore because officials are watching fighting more closely, and those that use price per head solutions will tell you that they really don’t affect a team’s chances to win at all.

But there is value in players that can play a power style of hockey, such as Philadelphia’s Scott Hartnell Edmonton’s Ryan Smyth and Boston’s Brad Marchand, players that can find their way to the scoresheet, but they’re not afraid to get their hands dirty and they will make their way to the penalty box. These guys aren’t what you would call enforcers at all, and in Marchand’s case, he wouldn’t even be a power forward; he is simply an agitator, but he winds up getting penalty minutes and that can help.

Enforcers probably aren’t needed in leagues that don’t count PIMs, but even in leagues that do, look for the players that can play both ways; these are also important players to a team’s sports betting chances.