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NHL Trade Talk

NHL Trade Talk: Ben Chiarot’s Trade Value Just Shot Up

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2 years ago

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NHL Trade

The Montreal Canadiens could now be in the driver’s seat leading up to NHL Trade Deadline, as Ben Chiarot has quickly become a sought-after commodity after some recent news around the NHL.

On Saturday night, Jeff Marek, on Hockey Night In Canada, reported that the Dallas Stars had taken defenceman John Klingberg, one of the biggest names leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline, off the market. Shortly after that groundbreaking announcement, the Arizona Coyotes reported coveted defenseman Jakob Chychrun was injured and would not return to their game against the Boston Bruins, potentially removing yet another top defenseman from the NHL Trade board.

 

Chiarot had already garnered interest from over half a dozen teams across the league before this week as one of the best value rentals available on the market. Still, recent events are likely to turn up the heat on trade talks. Ben Chiarot is in the final year of his contract at $3.5M, and the Canadiens have openly stated to potential trade partners that they’re willing to retain 50% of his salary for the remainder of the season.

The Canadiens have maintained that they will trade their player, and the price has been reportedly very high right from the start: A 1st round pick + an asset. Their price point is in line with past top-4 defensemen being moved at the trade deadline, most recently David Savard, who was traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Tampa Bay Lightning for 1st and 3rd round picks.

The Canadiens believe, and rightfully so, that Chiarot is more than worth his price tag and feel confident in waiting out potential buyers until they panic, shortly before the NHL Trade Deadline. The belief around the league was that buying teams wanted to wait out the Canadiens to see if they’d eventually lower their price as the NHL Trade Deadline crept closer, but that may be a strategy that backfires in the end.

 

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