The Montreal Canadiens season started horribly and hasn’t gotten much better. They lost their first five games and only put four pucks in the net in that time.
They have won a few since then, but basically every fourth game is a winner and the rest aren’t so good.
There is little reason for optimism that things will change in the near future. The team doesn’t score enough, allows too many goals and chances, is awful on the power play and can’t kill a penalty either. They are basically awful in all facets of the game right now.
It shouldn’t have been this bad. The additions of Mike Hoffman and Christian Dvorak as well as a full season from Cole Caufield gave reason to be hopeful this could be a high scoring squad. The additions of David Savard and Chris Wideman on the back end weren’t real flashy but they should have helped the special teams with Savard killing penalties and Wideman running things on the man advantage.
But it just wasn’t enough to overcome the absence of Shea Weber and Carey Price.
So, the Habs sit near the bottom of the NHL standings and are officially playing out the string already. There will be major changes, and already has been in the front office. On ice changes will be coming, and one of the biggest pieces about to be shipped out is Ben Chiarot.
The big, physical shutdown defender proved in the postseason last year that he is capable of handling big minutes in a playoff series and shut down the opponent’s best players. Due to this, he will be in high demand at the trade deadline.
According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, on Insider Trading segment last week, plenty of contenders are already circling on Chiarot and the price to acquire him will be “a first round pick for sure.”
Which teams will be most eager to acquire Chiarot? And if the Habs are more interested in prospects than picks, what players could they acquire in exchange for Chiarot?
Let’s take a look at three teams who will be interested in Chiarot and three prospects the Canadiens could land in a trade.