Rumor: Ben Chiarot With The Maple Leafs?

The Montreal Canadiens are far from done as we inch closer to the March 21st trade deadline. Names like Jeff Petry, Jonathan Drouin and Artturi Lehkonen are names that often pop up in the rumor mill, but the one that has been on top of the list since day 1 is Ben Chiarot.

It’s no surprise Chiarot will be moved by the deadline. The pending unrestricted free agent loved his time in Montreal, particularly playing top pairing minutes with Shea Weber, but the 30 year old wants to play for a contender and won’t stick around for the upcoming rebuild with the Canadiens.

The latest rumors involving Chiarot linked him heavily with either the New York Rangers or St. Louis Blues, however, Chris Johnston has recently discussed on his show along with Julian Mckenzie that the Maple Leafs have been heavily involved in trade talks with the Canadiens.

The starting point has always been at least a first round pick with possibly a prospect tagged into the deal. Kyle Dubas makes it an almost annual holiday to trade his 1st round pick so we know he won’t shy from offering such a package even if it means trading within his own division.

While picking up Chiarot would be a coup for the Leafs to solidify their defensive corp and add some much needed sandpaper and experience to boot, the move would leave the team with some interesting decisions to make. The left side of the blue line is already filled with Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and Rasmus Sandin who is having a breakout season. The only expendable defenseman on the Leafs would be Travis Dermott as Justin Holl is the only right handed shot on the back end and it’s doubtful he’d waive his no trade clause to join the Canadiens anyway. Dermott along with the Habs retaining a portion of Chiarot’s salary would solve the Leafs’ cap woes.

Dermott would likely be the odd man out if one of Chiarot or Sandin agrees to play on the right side, or if head coach Sheldon Keefe starts a 7 man rotation to give everyone the chance to play on any given night.

It’s extremely doubtful the Habs would land Timothy Liljegren as the prospect in return, but Kent Hughes might be tempted to at least take a look at defenseman and current St-John’s Sea Dogs product William Villeneuve. The 19 year old is a 4th round pick by the Leafs in 2020 and in his final season in the QMJHL, he currently has 26 points in 31 games.

Despite his slim 175 pound frame heighting 6’2″, Villeneuve was the “Q’s” top scoring defenceman in 2019-20 tallying 9 goals, 49 assists for 58 points. A right-handed defenceman playing on his natural side, the Canadiens can highly benefit from having someone like the Sherbrooke, QC native in their pipeline. This is a player that has been overlooked because of his size and the fact that the QMJHL is a highly offensive league. However, Villeneuve has showed poise and skill in the Leafs rookie camps and the couple of games he has played for the Marlies last season.

Chiarot is currently day-to-day with a lower body injury.

Who do you think can potentially come Montreal’s way in a Leafs-Canadiens swap involving Ben Chiarot? Comment below!