Talk continues to surround defenseman Ben Chiarot heading into this year’s NHL Trade Deadline. After a “fake report” he might have been traded to Toronto, media and insiders are back to looking at what teams might be interested in spending to acquire the player based on where Chiarot might fit and the cost of acquisition.
Elliotte Friedman discussed the status of a pending trade for Chiarot on The Jeff Marek Show and noted: “I definitely think for example in Chiarot’s case Montreal wanted to do this some time ago, but the buyers are just saying no, we have other options if your asking price doesn’t come down.” Friedman is suggesting that there are multiple teams interested, but that most, if not all, think the Canadiens want too much.
While it’s not clear how long teams have been talking to Montreal and feeling this way, it’s an interesting bit of news because Chiarot was believed to be in high demand around the NHL. Hockey insiders have been touting him as a blueliner a ton of teams wanted and would be willing to spend big on because of what he can offer, many going as high as a first-round pick to land him.
Are the Canadiens Starting to Worry?
The Canadiens are believed to be feeling the pressure on this. As per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff:
The feel is the Canadiens are like a duck on a pond with Chiarot, calm up up top but paddling furiously underwater to try and get a deal done. GM Kent Hughes has made more than his fair share of calls, but a deal has not materialized. Hughes said previously the Canadiens “won’t wait for the market” in order to move the defenseman. The problem is no one has met Montreal’s asking price, which is to match what the Tampa Bay Lightning paid last season for David Savard with first and third-round picks.
Seravalli isn’t sure any more than the Canadiens will get what they want in a trade, even though they’re trying to sell a well-liked, minute-chewing, dependable defenseman to a Stanley Cup contender. Who wouldn’t want that?
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