CHIAROT DEAL: JETS’ LOSS IS BIG HABS GAIN
Winnipeg not at all surprised to see defenceman flourishing in Montreal
They say you don’t truly know what you have until it’s gone.
The problem for the Winnipeg Jets wasn’t that, however. They knew what they were losing as Ben Chiarot was slipping through their fingers.
“No. We had a real good understanding of his value here and his value around the league,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said Monday, hours before Chiarot suited up the first time with the Montreal Canadiens against his former club. “We had an unusual set of circumstances this summer, in a very positive way.
“We had a lot of good, young players that were going to command a certain amount of our resources, financially. So, we had to make tough decisions and Montreal got a good one.”
Maurice calls Chiarot a true progression story in today’s NHL.
Drafted in the fourth round in 2009 by the then Atlanta Thrashers, Chiarot’s first NHL game wouldn’t come until the 2013-14 season.
It’d be a tough introduction to the Show, too. Wearing No. 63, Chiarot was on the ice for three goals against, including markers 1:47 apart in the second period to put the Blackhawks up 3-1. The Jets wouldn’t recover from that, losing 5-1 to the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
“He was in and out of the lineup to start,” Maurice said.
The following season, Chiarot
would play 40 games with the Jets, posting two goals and six assists, while dressing an additional 24 times with the then-st. John’s Icecaps. “And then (he) got to a point where he had earned his right not to be considered ever coming out (of the lineup) and then he moved up, found a real good chemistry with Dustin Byfuglien and played a really important role for us,” Maurice said.
There’d be no more flights back to Newfoundland. Chiarot became a mainstay in the lineup as a dependable rearguard, often tasked with holding the fort as Byfuglien racked up the roaming charges.
Maurice said Chiarot has entered “the final stage” of his development where he’s now the lead man playing big minutes. It’s just not with the team that had a hand in developing him into that player.
“Kind of climbing the ladder, it is something that when my career’s done is something I’ll be most proud of,” Chiarot said. “Where I started, the time and effort I put in to getting here and accomplishing my dream of being a Jet and playing in the NHL, it was a lot of years of hard work and something I’m proud of.”
After nearly a decade in the organization, the 28-year-old departed Winnipeg this past July as an unrestricted free agent. As much as the Jets wanted to re-sign the six-foot-three, 225-pounder, pending contracts for Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine took that option away from them.
A guy who had enjoyed playing in an at-times ornery Canadian market, Chiarot signed in arguably the largest pressure cooker of them all in Montreal. The Canadiens offered Chiarot what Winnipeg couldn’t — a three-year deal worth an annual average value of US$3.5 million.
“It’s a special feeling throwing on that jersey,” Chiarot said. “It is my favourite thing about being a Montreal Canadien is throwing on that jersey. It’s the same uniform they’ve been wearing for 100 years. It’s pretty unique and iconic in hockey, and I feel lucky I get to wear it every day.”
And Chiarot, now paired with Shea Weber on the team’s top pairing, picked up right where he left off when he walked out of the doors of BELLMTS Place for the final time last spring.
“It’s just a good match,” Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said. “They’re both big, they’re both strong. I don’t think there’s a lot of lines that enjoy playing against those two big guys. They find each other very well. They support each other well.
“Both have been able to support the attack. They’re not defensive defencemen as most people would see them. They do a good job of supporting the attack, great shots and they’ve both been pretty good at creating some offence for us.”
Speaking with some members of the Montreal media, when Chiarot was paired with Weber around the middle of November, the latter’s game elevated to another level. Weber is on pace for a career season if he can stay healthy. Chiarot, too.
“The team’s given me a lot of responsibility, have a lot of confidence in me,” Chiarot said. “I’ve had great D partners all year. Playing with Shea Weber makes things pretty easy. Having Carey Price back behind you is pretty comforting. So, I think (I’m) just getting comfortable with my new surroundings, and the team appreciates what I do and the game that I bring.”
Kind of climbing the ladder, it is something that when my career’s done is something I’ll be most proud of.