DETROIT | In Montreal, Ben Chiarot had his best days with Shea Weber as his blue line partner. For his first steps with the Red Wings, he will have a much younger defenseman by his side in Moritz Seider, the most recent winner of the Calder Trophy.
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“Seider isn’t bad,” Chiarot said Thursday with a laugh. He is an exciting young defender. It’s easy to play with him, I can quickly read his intentions. I have already built a bond with “Mo” during the camp, but we will want to deepen it even more during the season. I will enjoy playing with him over the next few years. »
On the eve of his debut in the Wings uniform, the 31-year-old Ontarian had a broad smile. We felt he was really happy to reconnect with a trio of Montreal journalists. Before answering questions, he took news of his former team, stating that he had watched the Canadiens’ 4-3 victory once morest the Toronto Maple Leafs carefully.
“I’m feverish, it’s the start of a new chapter in my career, said the colossus defender when he left training at the Balfour Arena. I find myself with an exciting formation, a team which wants to climb in the classification. I will also play for Steve Yzerman [le directeur général], he wants to build a winning team. It’s a good time to be back in Detroit, the future is bright. »
“Hard to say no to Yzerman”
After a short stint with the Florida Panthers, Chiarot took advantage of his unrestricted free agent status to sign a four-year, $19 million ($4.75 million average) contract with the Michigan team.
If the money and the duration of the pact represented two massive arguments, the notoriety of the DG also weighed in the balance.
“Yes, it’s hard to say no to Yzerman,” he replied. I grew up in the 1990s and Yzerman was a star. We would compare him today to a Nathan MacKinnon or Sidney Crosby. When you get a call from him and he wants you on his team, that’s enough. cool. He is a good resource for the club, he has gone through several hardships. »
Photo AFP
Ben Chiarot chased Alex Steeves in an exhibition game between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs last Friday.
A known plan
Traded by Kent Hughes, GM of CH, to the Panthers for a first-round pick in 2023, a fourth-round pick in 2022 (Cédrick Guindon) and Ty Smilanic, a 20-year-old striker, Chiarot had already raised the possibility of a return to Montreal. But in the end there were never any serious discussions regarding returning home.
“We talked at the last training camp [2021] with [Marc] Bergevin [l’ex-DG du Tricolore]. The team had made a few offers, but we didn’t agree, he said. The season started and it got derailed quickly, so it was becoming clear that I would leave. There was nothing else this summer. »
At the Wings, Derek Lalonde was delighted with the arrival of a veteran like him.
“Ben is an important acquisition for our team,” noted the new head coach. It will bring important elements for the culture we want to build. He doesn’t want to see the puck go into his net, he plays with great intensity and he has playoff experience. He also has better feet than I thought. He will greatly help our defensive game. »
Happy for Xhekaj
Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, Chiarot had slipped good words to Bergevin regarding another guard born in the city of the Tiger-Cats in the CFL. He really believes in the potential of Arber Xhekaj.
“Arber is a great story. He didn’t have the chance to get drafted in any league and is now jumping straight from the junior ranks to the NHL. You can see his tools, he’s big, he skates and he’s tough as iron. It will be good for a long time in Montreal. »
“He came to me at camp last year to tell me he was an alumnus of Bishop Ryan, my high school in Hamilton. So we had this link when we left. I took a closer look at it at camp. I had spoken regarding him to “Berg” [Bergevin]to “Mell” [Scott Mellanby, ex-adjoint au DG]. I told them: “this young man will be good”. He returned to junior and found success. »
