Panthers add defenseman ahead of trade deadline, but pay steep price for potential rental
The Florida Panthers have spent all season searching for a sixth defenseman to put net to Brandon Montour on their third pairing. With less than a week until the trade deadline, they hope they’ve finally found one.
The Panthers traded for Ben Chiarot on Wednesday, adding the defenseman from the Montreal Canadiens a few hours after they sent Frank Vatrano to the New York Rangers for a 2022 fourth-round pick in a cap-clearing move. Chiarot has been the Canadiens’ top defender this year, blocking 91 shots and laying 110 hits while also providing 18 points as a fixture on their top defensive pairing, leading the team in average time on ice.
Florida is sending a 2023 first-round pick, a 2022 fourth-round pick and prospect Ty Smilanic to Montreal in exchange for the 30-year-old Canadian.
“Ben is a solid veteran defenseman that will bring both experience and size to our blue line,” general manager Bill Zito said in a statement. “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 deal and possesses a $3.5 million cap hit with $770,000 still left to be paid out this season and the Canadiens will retain 50 percent of his contract, the Panthers announced. The Vatrano trade earlier Wednesday gave Florida almost $5.5 million in cap space, meaning the Panthers still have some flexibility to make additional moves before the Monday deadline with more than $3.7 million in room, according to CapFriendly.
Florida (41-13-6) still could seek out a top-line winger to stick next to forwards Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe — right wing has been a revolving door all year long — but finding a steady defenseman was the top priority for a team without many glaring weaknesses. The third pairing on defense was one of the few.
On the top pairing, star defensemen Aaron Ekblad and MacKenzie Weegar have formed one of the best duos in the NHL. On the second pairing, defenseman Gustav Forsling and Radko Gudas have been good complementary pieces for one another. Montour, however, hasn’t had a steady partner at all this season with fellow defenseman Markus Nutivaara potentially out for the season.
Defensemen Lucas Carlsson, Petteri Lindbohm, Chase Priskie and Matt Kiersted have all gotten opportunities, but none have seized the job. The Panthers are bringing Chiarot to South Florida with the hope he will, whether it’s next to Montour or someone else in a potentially reshuffled lineup.
Chiarot was a fourth-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and debuted for the Winnipeg Jets in the 2013-14 NHL season. He played six seasons with the Jets before signing with Montreal as a free agent in 2019 and played an instrumental role in the Canadiens’ run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, leading the team in average time on ice throughout the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. Montreal, however, has gone from a surprise Cup contender last year to one of the worst teams in the league this year, leading the Canadiens to ship out Chiarot this week.
While Chiarot might wind up being nothing more than a short-term rental for a championship-contending team, Zito has made a habit of trading for players on expiring deals, then extending them in his short time as GM. Last year, the Panthers traded for Montour and forward Sam Bennett ahead of the deadline, and wound up giving both extensions in the offseason as they were about to hit free agency.
Florida plays two more games before the trade deadline, including one Thursday against the Las Vegas Golden Knights (32-26-4) at 10:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 8:30 PM.
