Mark Methot Takes Shot At NHL Journalist
One retired NHL enforcer took a shot at Scott Wheeler on X while debating the merits of fighting in the NHL.
Methot Takes Shot At Wheeler
Former NHL enforcer Mark Methot took a shot at the Athletic's Scott Wheeler as the two discussed fighting in the NHL and what Ryan Reaves brings to the Leafs.
Methot was a well known enforcer who retired at the end of the 2018-19 season. He racked up 380 career penalty minutes in 624 games and fought six times. He has been a vocal supporter of enforcer type players since he retired.
Debates Rages Online Over Fighting In NHL
Methot is also a fan of the Leafs adding Ryan Reaves. For him, its about the culture, personality, and toughness players like Reaves can bring, changing things up in the locker room.
To be clear, I wasn't even close to being a tough guy and I've always appreciated analytics. However, I understood the value it brought to a team. You can't quantify it with numbers and charts.
Sure, his CF% or whatever isn't good. But how do Matthews and Marner feel about it? To me, that's all that matters."
Auston Matthews also commented on what he thinks Reaves brings to the team.
It seems as though the players are always in support of each other regardless of what their role on the team is. While an analytics-based approach to roster construction might tell you Reaves is actively hurting the team, the players seem to be happier when guys like him are around. It is fair to say that the Leafs have tried brining in players like Reaves before and it did not work but maybe this time will be different.
As seen on: Retired Enforcer Belittles Journalist
POLL Should every team have an enforcer?
Yes 23 65.7 % No 12 34.3 % LIST OF POLLS
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 2, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | - | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 1 | 1 | |
| K'Andre Miller | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Colton Sissons | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Smith | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | - | - | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||