On Oct. 30, Wild forward Justin Fontaine suffered a sprained MCL as a result of a knee-to-knee hit that will keep him out several weeks. Six days later, the same thing happened to teammate Zach Paris.
Those hits, and their repercussions, have reignited the question of whether enforcers actually serve as a deterrent for questionable hits on a team's skill players.
The Wild were set to watch Kurtis Gabriel, a player known for his fighting ability, make his NHL debut Tuesday, coach Mike Yeo downplayed the idea that a player like Gabriel would have prevented the injuries to Fontaine and Parise.