Enforcers Week: The Top Five Fighters in the NHL

We asked some former bruisers to help out with our rankings of the best brawlers in the big league right now.

We've posted a lot of articles about fighters this week, but we couldn't put together this package without ranking the game's top scrappers right now. Though the sheer volume of fights has dropped in the past decade, it's not surprising when teams either seek out nuclear options - as the Maple Leafs did with Ryan Reaves - or lock up the tough guys they already had - as Washington just did with Tom Wilson.

In order to get an insider's view on who the top fighters in the league are, we put together a black-and-blue ribbon panel of former NHLers who, combined, fought around 300 times during their careers: Georges Laraque, Andrew Peters and Craig Rivet. The following is a blended list based on their rankings.

1. Ryan Reaves, Toronto: The consensus No. 1, Reaves comes to the Maple Leafs as the biggest intimidator in the league right now, which is great news for the Toronto roster.

"Reavo's going to make us all feel pretty easy out there," said new teammate Tyler Bertuzzi. "I'm excited."

The veteran doesn't traffic in volume anymore - his busiest season was 13 fights back in 2011-12, according to hockeyfights.com - but would you want to fight him?

2. Nicolas Deslauriers, Philadelphia: No one fought more than Deslauriers last season, with the Flyers left winger dropping the mitts 14 times. Not surprisingly, a few of those fights were against other players on this list so you know he's not padding his stats. That reputation earned him the second slot on two ballots.

3. Arber Xhekaj, Montreal: One of the most exciting new players in the NHL, Xhekaj is super-strong and plays a tremendous all-around physical game. Veteran scrappers quickly found out the kid was not one to mess with, though his nine tilts still tied him for fifth in the league.

4. Kurtis MacDermid, Colorado: Entering his third season with the Avs, MacDermid is a veteran fighter who ranked as high as third in balloting here. His dance card was more about quality over quantity last year, with opponents such as Patrick Maroon and two tilts with Milan Lucic.

5. Milan Lucic, Boston :Speaking of Lucic, he got a second-place vote on one ballot and his return to Boston (where he won a Stanley Cup in 2011) makes for a fun storyline. The fact he'll be in the same division as Reaves and Xhekaj means the Atlantic is going to be meaner than ever this season.

Honorable Mentions: Other players who received votes in the survey included Tanner Jeannot, who re-signed in Tampa Bay this summer; Columbus' Mathieu Olivier and Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse.