Kent Hughes did not go through four paths: since he took office in mid-January, his plan has always been to exchange Ben Chiarot. And the main concerned confirmed that he knew exactly that this is the fate that awaited him.
Posted at 1:53 p.m.
Under the previous administration, discussions had briefly taken place last summer about a possible new contract. But it had stopped there. As we know, the team totally collapsed once the season started.
Under the circumstances, a defender at the peak of his career who is about to become an unrestricted free agent became one of the best bargaining chips for the Canadiens. The DG did not hesitate.
Chiarot moved from CH to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night, in return for fourth-round first picks, in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Prospect Tyler Smilanic is also a new member of the Habs.
“We felt that it was, beyond any doubt, the best transaction we could make,” said Hughes Thursday morning in a press briefing. Could we have waited for an even better deal? May be. But we are happy with the exchange. It also makes the Panthers a better team; if it serves both teams well, it’s the best possible situation. »
Hughes offered two details about his first-round pick. First, it was essential that he not be “protected”, therefore conditional on his actual position in 2023. For example, if the Panthers had a painful season next year and the choice fell in the top 10, it would remain the property of the Habs. “You never know how the seasons unfold,” warned the DG.
He then revealed that, in discussions with the multiple teams interested in Chariot’s services, the 2023 draft was key. The Canadian expects to speak three times in the first 35 choices in 2022 – his own choice, that of the Calgary Flames obtained against Tyler Toffoli and his second-round choice. The team also has 13 picks in total for next summer’s draft alone. Obviously, that seems to be enough for the organization.
As for Smilanic, a player praised first for his speed, Hughes has seen him play multiple times in the American development program and then in the NCAA — the skater plays for the Quinnipiac University Bobcats, who have faced the Northeastern University Huskies a few times, a team for which two sons of the CH leader line up.
Empty
The role that Chiarot will play at Sunrise should differ significantly from the one he filled in Montreal. A place on the second or third pair awaits him with the Panthers, and we should no longer use him on the power play. His ice time, logically, should decrease.
Nothing to do with the job he was doing this season with the Canadian. Game after game, he spent 22 to 24 minutes on the ice, in all phases of the game. In the absence of Joel Edmundson and Shea Weber, and with the troubles experienced by Jeff Petry, the number 8 had become the undisputed leader in defense.
Consequently, the place he leaves free will not be easy to fill. Internally, Alexander Romanov is the most obvious candidate. He is less beefy than Chiarot, but he likes the robust game and has a certain attacking flair.
It is towards the youth that the CH will turn to fill the void, confirmed Kent Hughes. He obviously talked about Kaiden Guhle, a 2020 first-round pick and one of the best guards in the Junior League West this season. He really wants Jordan Harris to sign with the Habs at the end of his NCAA season. His teammate Jayden Struble could also make the jump quickly, if not in 2023-2024. He also mentioned the name of Arber Xhekaj, Ontario defender invited to the last training camp and left with a contract in his pocket.
As they are all 21 and under, Kent Hughes does not rule out finding a temporary solution, but not before the end of the season.
That being said, he does not hide that this departure could change the face of his team’s defense in the long term. His predecessor Marc Bergevin favored, in the last part of his reign, tall, strong and robust rears, sometimes to the detriment of mobility.
Hughes instead recalled that the new management, as well as head coach Martin St-Louis, advocated a more fluid “way of playing”. “We will continue to evaluate the choices we make based” on this philosophy, explained the DG.
Tributes
Members of the media were surprised Thursday morning to come across Ben Chiarot at the Bell complex in Brossard. Accompanied by his daughter Emerson, the veteran came to pick up some personal effects and greet his teammates one last time.
He does not yet know when he will join the Panthers entourage. The big cats are currently in the American Southwest, where they will face the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night and the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. We can imagine that he will meet his new teammates when they return to Florida on Saturday. If this scenario materializes, he would play his first game against the Canadiens next Thursday in Montreal.
A good player, Chiarot said he loved “every minute” he spent in the blue-white-red uniform. His daughter was just two weeks old when he signed his contract, in the summer of 2020; the years spent in Quebec will therefore retain an important place in the memories of his little family.
He knew all season long that a trade was likely, so he made peace with a change of scenery a long time ago. “It’s part of the business, I had time to prepare for it,” he said.
He paid tribute to defenders coach Luke Richardson, who allowed him to “take a big step in [sa] career” and which gave him “the chance to be the player [qu’il] believed to be”. He also hailed partner-turned-great friend Shea Weber.
In his eyes, the team he leaves behind could be “competitive quickly”, even if the possibility of a long reconstruction is not excluded by management. The arrival of Martin St-Louis behind the bench re-energized the troops. A few additions or the hatching of young players could have a quick effect.
“We have seen, for a few weeks, that this team is not as far [du succès] we thought, he said.
Maybe, maybe not. In any case, by joining one of the best teams in the NHL, Chiarot is now much closer than his teammates to realizing his dream and winning the Stanley Cup.