Canadiens: Revisiting the Ben Chiarot Trade Following the 2023 Draft
By Ryan Praught
In March of 2022, Kent Hughes traded defenseman Ben Chiarot to the Florida Panthers ahead of the trade deadline. Far out of the playoff race, the Canadiens moved Chiarot and received prospect Ty Smilanic, a 2022 4th-round pick, and the crown jewel, a 2023 first-round pick, in return. Fast forward to now, and we can finally put names to those picks and properly analyze this trade.
First, let’s look at Ben Chiarot and how his brief tenure with the Panthers went. The defenseman played in 20 regular season games and an additional 10 in the postseason, helping the Panthers win their first playoff series since 1996. But the President’s Trophy winners ultimately had a disappointing year-end, getting swept by their in-state rivals, the Lightning, in the second round.
Chiarot would then go on to sign a hefty four-year, $19 Million contract in free agency with the Detroit Red Wings, keeping him in the Atlantic Division. So, in total, the Panthers gave up a young prospect, a fourth in 2022 and a first in 2023, for 30 games of Ben Chiarot. Was it worth it? Probably not, but it could end up being worse if the Canadiens turn those picks into impactful players.
So what have those pieces in the deal become? Ty Smilanic, the only known piece at the time of the trade, has not amounted to much so far, but seeing as he wasn’t the centerpiece of that deal, it’s not the end of the world if he doesn’t pan out. And at just 21 years old, there’s still time for him to find his footing.
The 2022 fourth-round pick became prospect Cedrick Guindon, who looks to be a good player for where he was drafted. Last year playing for Owen Sound in the OHL, Guindon put up 69 points in 68 games. It would be good if he provides depth at the forward position in the future for the Canadiens, which is necessary for any good team. Anything more than that is unlikely, but it would be amazing.
Lastly, the 2023 first-round pick was actually traded away, along with a second-round selection, in exchange for forward Alex Newhook. Newhook has yet to play for the Canadiens but is expected to fill a prominent role somewhere in the top six next season and is likely a big part of the future as well. If Newhook can reach his potential, he alone makes this trade worth it for the Canadiens, even if he wasn’t acquired directly in exchange for Chiarot.
Newhook can still be a solid contributor in a team’s top six, and at this point, he is far more valuable to the Canadiens than Ben Chiarot would be. There’s work to be done in order to get Newhook to that level, but the Canadiens development has shown improvement already since the new regime took over, so there’s optimism that can continue with Newhook.
If Smilanic and Guindon can also develop into decent role players (anything more would be fantastic but ultimately unrealistic to expect), then the trade becomes a robbery. Newhook for Chiarot alone is a trade I would make nine times out of ten, and I think Kent Hughes did a good job here with this trade.
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