Stu Cowan: Canadiens’ Chiarot at peace with bittersweet NHL reality

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It was only two-and-a-half years ago that Ben Chiarot joined the Canadiens as a free agent.

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It must seem like much longer to him considering everything the team has gone through since then.

“I really enjoy playing in Canada in a place where it matters, ” Chiarot said when he had a tour of the Bell Sport Complex in Brossard for the first time in July 2019 after signing a three-year deal worth US$10.5 million following five seasons with the Winnipeg Jets. “I enjoy the pressure that comes with having to perform every night and playing Saturday night at the Bell Centre — there’s nothing in hockey that’s quite the same. To have the opportunity to do that every week was something I was excited  about and it was a big reason why I decided to come to Montreal.

“ Certainly, a good team was important to me, ” Chiarot added. “ Everything as far as the players, it goes a lot smoother when a team is winning and playing on a good team was important to me. To get to play in a city like Montreal, for an Original Six team, it was a great opportunity for myself and for my family. ”

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Chiarot’s wife, Jacqueline, had given birth to their first child — daughter Emerson — a month earlier, so it was an exciting time for the defenceman.

After two unexpected playoff appearances because of COVID-19 — including a run to the Stanley Cup final last season — Chiarot’s time with the Canadiens is coming to an end. It’s pretty much certain the 30-year-old will be dealt ahead of the March 21 NHL trade deadline since he can become an unrestricted free agent during the off-season.

With a reasonable salary-cap hit of $3.5 million, Chiarot would be a solid addition to any team with hopes of winning the Stanley Cup.

“I like the way that he’s handling himself every day,” Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said Monday when asked about Chiarot. “He’s a real pro … that’s one thing, for sure. I think his game keeps growing. You see that guy that we saw last year, especially in the playoffs. Last year and the year before, how hard he was to play against in defending and so on. You can see this year, obviously, he still has that, but he’s picking his time to jump onto the offensive side and has produced some offence. So he’s a pretty balanced player. Not bringing flashy offence, but making a good first pass, he’s got a good shot, reads the play well to be coming in at the right time. So on top of the way he defends and his physical presence on the ice, I think he’s a pretty complete player.”

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Chiarot has 5-2-7 totals in 31 games this season and leads the Canadiens with an average of 23:30 of ice time per game. Only 18 defencemen in the NHL have more goals than him.

“Ben’s a great guy,” Canadiens rookie Cole Caufield said. “He’s someone that’s always energetic in the room. He’s always flying around in practice, keeping the room light. He’s had a pretty good year, even with our struggles in the first half. He’s been a great teammate to me and he’s also a great leader.”

The Canadiens should be able to get a first-round draft pick (and possibly more) in exchange for Chiarot. Last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning gave a first-round pick in 2021 and a third-round pick in 2022 to the Columbus Blue Jackets, along with a fourth-round pick in 2021 to the Detroit Red Wings, in a three-team trade to acquire defenceman David Savard. After winning the Stanley Cup with the Lightning, Savard signed with the Canadiens as a free agent. Chiarot has a 10-team no-trade list as part of his contract.

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“I’m a little bit older now,” Chiarot said Monday when asked what impact trade rumours might have on him. “Maybe a little more mature in the league where things like that don’t really faze me, whereas if I was younger it would probably have you thinking a lot more about where I’d be going or what would happen. You think of all kinds of scenarios, as young guys tend to do. But at this stage, I’m pretty comfortable with the kind of player I am and what I bring. I try not to focus on anything that I can’t control because it’s wasted time and wasted energy trying to figure things out that you have no say over.”

The Canadiens’ long break in the schedule because of COVID-19 has given Chiarot plenty of time to reflect on his time in Montreal.

“I think we’ve shown, certainly in playoff situations, that we have a good character team and a team that is successful through playoff series,” he said. “That would be one big thing that I take away from being here is the kind of character and work ethic we have in the room.”

Chiarot will definitely add character and work ethic to the next team he plays for.

scowan@postmedia.com

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