Canadiens: That Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
By John Wiens
Sing along Canadiens fans, cue Sinatra!
Its that most wonderful time of the year
All the teams overpayin’
for hard-nosed defensemen
Of medium tiers!
Its that most wonderful time of the year!
Look out boys and girls! Trade Deadline Day Approaches!
Or, as I like to think of it, the first long weekend of the spring. I won’t be workin’ on Monday. Will you?
Believing Big Ben Chiarot would get an first, a second, and a high end prospect as I projected earlier means I missed the mark by 2 rounds, which is quite close. There’s a big difference between a second and fourth round pick, but an unprotected first sweetens the deal in a way a late second round pick can’t. Maybe some folks out there are uncertain of the player in the return, but Ty Smilanic looks like a player. The brain trust certainly knows him well, their kids all have played him.
You can read more about Ty Smilanic HERE.
So it’s a win and a necessary one for the team that set the market floor by trading Toffoli early. I would guess they managed nearly 100% of the return they were looking for in a defenseman with poor analytics and terrific playoff credentials. Realistically, I’m not sure I’d rather have Chiarot in the lineup in the playoffs than Mark Giordano or not. Giordano is still a very good player, but Chiarot’s style of play is what matters, and the Panthers really needed a rugged defenseman that shrinks the ice. Ask anyone who played against him in the playoffs last year about the experience.
A clue : It was no fun.
Toughness is still a huge requirement in the postseason, where referee’s are scared to call anything at all—even if it’s right in their face. Or right in Corey Perry’s face. Or Brendan Gallaghers. Just any Canadiens face.
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Chiarot drove me nuts at the beginning of the year, more dud than stud, but it was clearly the system. So MANY wrist shots from Pluto because there was no option in the offensive zone. Since the coaching change he’s been better, and on a top team he can distinguish himself in the hard-nosed 2nd pairing. If a team wants a stronger, tougher defensive game, they can do much worse than Big Ben.
And good luck trading for Giordano now. If Chiarot gets that kind of haul, Giordano’s price will be at least as high, and likely higher. Somewhere Kyle Dubas is crying.
Priceless.
It’s possible to think another Defenseman is moving, but I doubt it now. It feels more and more like Jeff Petry is being dealt in the summer. There is one name that keeps popping up.