Steve MacIntyre can't help Sam Gagner

The one-dimensional enforcer is on the way out of the NHL. That's not particularly debatable, outliers like John Scott aside.

Still, there are teams that are going to buck the trend. The Edmonton Oilers joined those ranks on Monday, claiming winger Steve MacIntyre off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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MacIntyre, 33, has history with the franchise. He's also played in just 13 NHL games over the last two seasons.

The move is, undoubtedly, a reaction to Canucks winger Zack Kassian breaking Sam Gagner's jaw with his stick over the weekend. We know this because Oilers GM Craig MacTavish said so. Coach Dallas Eakins called it a "disturbing play by a disturbing player," which is at least half correct.

The real question, though, is whether MacIntyre's presence on Edmonton's bench would've actually stopped Kassian from doing … whatever it was he did. There's no way to say, really, but something to keep in mind: Kassian's "disturbing play" is also exceedingly rare, as is the outcome for Gagner.

In Edmonton's view, it's worth "using" a roster spot on MacIntyre to stop it from happening again, when in reality, it probably wouldn't happen again regardless. Oil the Blog has a great look at the correlation between injuries and fighting majors that suggests as much.

Furthermore, if it did, the end result would be Kassian fighting MacIntyre. That doesn't justify dressing a player whose only NHL-caliber skill involves his fists. It also doesn't put Gagner's jaw back together.

Team toughness isn't a bad thing—when it comes in the form of useful players who can fight. It's tough to put MacIntyre in that category, no matter how good a teammate he is.

As for Gagner, he'll have surgery on Tuesday. There's no word on a recovery timetable. The 24-year-old center had 14 goals and 24 assists last season.

UPDATE: Kassian was suspended five games, and Gagner looks like this:

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