Ben Chiarot was traded to the Florida Panthers by the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.
“I find it exciting. I’m going to a team that has a chance to go a long way in the playoffs,” Chiarot told Le Journal de Montreal. “The Panthers have been at the top of their division practically since the first day of the season.”
Montreal received a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and unsigned forward prospect Ty Smilanic for the defenseman. Florida acquired a 2022 fourth-round pick from the New York Rangers earlier Wednesday in a trade for forward Frank Vatrano.
“Ben is a solid veteran defenseman that will bring both experience and size to our blue line,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. “Having reached the Stanley Cup Final with Montreal last season, he is a player that knows what it takes to make a deep playoff run, which is what our organization is striving for in these next few months.”
Chiarot is in the final season of a three-year, $10.5 million contract ($3.5 million average annual value) he signed with the Canadiens on July 4, 2019, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Montreal agreed to retain 50 percent of Chiarot’s remaining salary.
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The 30-year-old has scored 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 54 games this season. He was scratched Tuesday for a 6-3 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, missed two games with a lower-body injury from Feb. 13-17, and missed three games from Dec. 17-Jan. 11 while in NHL COVID-19 protocol.
“I enjoyed playing for the Canadiens,” Chiarot said. “I’ve considered Montreal my second home for the past three seasons. The fans cheer a blocked shot, a big check or an intercepted pass, not just a goal or an assist.”
Montreal, which made the Stanley Cup Final last season, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, is 16-36-8 this season and last in the Atlantic Division.
“We’ve had conversations with teams (about Chiarot) and clearly I would think most teams are identifying good hockey players on expiring contracts that are going to be free agents,” Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said Feb. 16. “We’ve received a lot of phone calls. I think everybody knows how these talks proceed, and it’s really difficult to identify when that would happen. … If the right deal is there, we’ll do it. We won’t wait for the market.”
Selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the fourth round (No. 119) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Chiarot has scored 110 points (29 goals, 81 assists) in 469 regular-season games for the Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets, and seven points (one goal, six assists) in 56 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Smilanic, a third-round pick (No. 74) by Florida in the 2020 NHL Draft, scored 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) in 38 games for Quinnipiac in the NCAA this season.
Vatrano is in the final season of a three-year contract he signed with the Panthers on Feb. 23, 2019, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. The 28-year-old scored 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in 49 games this season.
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