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Ben Chiarot

Canadiens add much needed left-shot defenseman in Chiarot

By Joey AlfieriJul 4, 2019, 11:28 AM EDT
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Coming into the summer, the Montreal Canadiens had three glaring holes on their roster that they had to address. They needed a scoring forward (they tried to get Sebastian Aho), another left-shot defenseman, and a backup goalie (they signed Keith Kinkaid on July 1st). On Thursday morning, general manager Marc Bergevin addressed one of those needs.

The Canadiens inked former Winnipeg Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot to a three-year, $10.5 million contract ($3.5 million AAV). The 28-year-old spent the first five seasons of his career with the Winnipeg Jets after being drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

He had five goals, 20 points, a plus-6 rating and 62 penalty minutes in 78 games with Winnipeg in 2018-19. He averaged 18:37 of ice time.

Chiarot gives the Canadiens some added size on the left side of their defense (he’s 6-foot-3, 220 pounds) and he adds a physical presence which they didn’t have on that side with Victor Mete, Brett Kulak and Mike Rielly.

[ProHockeyTalk’s 2019 NHL free agency tracker]

Last season, he spent most of his ice time playing on a pairing with Dustin Byfuglien. In 640 even-strength minutes with Byfuglien, Chiarot had a CF% of 51.59 percent, but that number dropped to 44.76 percent in 48 minutes without him (Byfuglien’s CF% spiked to 59.27 without Chiarot by his side). The FF% drops from 50.82 to 43.59 without Byfuglien, and the HDCF% goes from 50.26 percent to 35 percent. A 48-minute sample size isn’t huge, but it’s still something you need to be aware of with a depth defender.

Bergevin may not be done tweaking his defense, as he still has time to make a trade before the start of the year. Mete has spent some time playing with Shea Weber over the last two seasons, but he’s probably better suited to play in a lesser role at this stage of his career. So they may still need someone that can line up next to their captain at even-strength.

There’s still plenty of work for Bergevin to do, but time is still on his side.

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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.

Fists fly in Winnipeg: Wheeler and Chiarot exchange pleasantries in practice altercation

Getty Images
By Scott BilleckMar 24, 2018, 3:45 PM EDT
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WINNIPEG — The gloves came off at Winnipeg Jets practice on Saturday.

A small scuffle that involved a couple of Jets players ensued after a point shot was taken by Blake Wheeler during a drill. That melee turned into fists being tossed between Wheeler and Jets defensemen Ben Chiarot, with Wheeler being sent to the dressing room by coach Paul Maurice after the fight broke up.

“It’s just boys being boys,” said Chiarot, who had a small cut on his nose after practice. “Tempers get up. Intensity in practice is always a good thing and that’s something we’re trying to bring here before the playoffs. I look at it as a good thing.”

Wheeler didn’t speak to the media following being sent off. He appeared to be sporting a welt over his left eye and tossed his helmet into the Jets bench before heading down the tunnel.

The Jets own a 10-point stranglehold on the second seed in the Central Division and appear set for their first playoff appearance in three seasons.

Winnipeg notched its 100th point of the season on Friday in a 3-2 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks.

Mark Scheifele, who was in the vicinity, said he was just an innocent bystander in the ordeal.

“I didn’t do anything,” he said. “I was just sitting in the slot, I don’t know if I had anything (to do with it.)”

Paul Maurice watched the fracas from center ice but didn’t say anything until Wheeler’s glove’s game off, at which point he yelled for the pair to stop.

“You’d like a few more of those during the year if you could,” Maurice said after practice.

When pressed as to why, Maurice spoke of keeping the intensity level high throughout the season.

“Our theory in how we practice is really short, as fast as we can, a full-contact sport,” Maurice said. “In the games, somebody gets an elbow up, somebody gets a piece of someone that happens and occasionally in practice that’s going to happen. It’s all good.”

Jets forward Adam Lowry said players were already moved on to the joking phase following the altercation.

“They might be mad at each other for 10 minutes, but you don’t expect a grudge to be held too long,” Lowry said. “I’m sure (by Sunday), they’ll be laughing about it.”

Asked if there would be any repercussions for either player, Maurice shared a joke.

“There will be no family meeting tomorrow,” he said. 

Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck

Winnipeg Jets fans quickly reach Chiarot fine GoFundMe goal

Associated Press
By Scott BilleckNov 28, 2017, 12:50 PM EDT
6 Comments

Winnipeg Jets fans put their disdain for Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry to good use over the past few days.

A GoFundMe that came about after a fine to Winnipeg Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot reached its goal on Monday, just 48 hours after it went live.

A total of 153 people donated over $4,300 in two days and all of it will go to the Christmas Cheer Board, a local Winnipeg charity that provides food hampers and gifts for children during the holiday season to those less fortunate.

“I’m not surprised Manitobans stepped up because they always do. I was surprised at how quickly word spread and how people from outside Manitoba have jumped in to help,” said Kyle Klatt, a Winnipegger who set up the GoFundMe page.

The crowdfunding page was set up to raise the same amount of money Chiarot was fined after he put the butt-end of his stick into the chin of Anaheim Ducks star Corey Perry last week, which can be seen below.

Chiarot was fined $3,763.44 for the incident, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.

Chiarot wore a smile on his face when reporters attempted to ask him about the GoFundMe, but declined to comment on Monday, preferring to leave his negative on-ice moment where he left it in Anaheim.

Klatt said he’s happy with how the campaign turned out and hopes others can follow its lead.

“I guess I am a bit proud the idea turned out the way it did,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been getting more praise than I deserve though. I would like the word to get out about this campaign so we can raise a bunch of money but also so others in different markets may use the same idea to raise money for other worthwhile causes.”

Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck

Jets fans set up GoFundMe after Chiarot fine

Associated Press
By Scott BilleckNov 25, 2017, 8:51 PM EDT
5 Comments

Winnipeg Jets fans are having a bit of fun (again) at the expense of Corey Perry, who was on the receiving end of a butt-end to the face on Friday.

Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot was the culprit in the second period of a 4-1 Winnipeg win against the Ducks. Chiarot got his hands up in Perry’s grill and, along with it, the butt-end of his stick.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety deemed it to be a no-no and fined Chiarot as much as they could under the current collective bargaining agreement, just under $3,500. 

Ducks fans, of course, weren’t too pleased that Perry’s face needed many stitches to repair the wound, which can be seen here:

For Winnipeg fans, Chiarot was doing God’s work. And now those same fans are trying to use the incident to spread some love.

A GoFundMe to raise the same amount of money Chiarot was fined has been set up, with donations going to the Christmas Cheer Board, a local charity in Winnipeg that provides food hampers and toys for children to those less fortunate during the holiday season.

A great man by the name of Ben Chiarot butt ended Corey Perry the other night. He was fined $3763.44 and I am looking to collect that amount and donate it to the Christmas Cheer Board in Ben’s name. This way almost everyone wins in this “tragedy.”

Hilariously, the GoFundMe has raised nearly half its goal amount of $3763.44 from 75 people in five hours (at the time of this blog post.)

Perry’s history with the Jets and its fans goes back some years.

During the playoffs during the 2014-15 season, Jets fans, forever unhappy with Perry and his perceived antics, chanted ‘Katy Perry, Katy Perry’ periodically. Perry, of course, would have the last laugh in that series as the Jets were swept out of the playoffs in four games by the Ducks.

Last season, Perry drew the ire of Jets fans once again after this slash to the hand of Mathieu Perreault:

Perreault missed four games because of a broken finger.

Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck

Report: ‘Nothing more than preliminary discussions’ between Jets, Byfuglien

By Mike HalfordJul 21, 2015, 9:00 AM EDT
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Here’s the latest from the Free Press on talks between Winnipeg and d-man Dustin Byfuglien, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next July:

Byfuglien, like [Andrew] Ladd, is also a pending UFA at the send of next season. According to the player’s agent, nothing more than preliminary discussions regarding the big defenseman have taken place.

Ladd is the No. 1 priority and must be the first domino to fall.

It’s expected that Ladd, the team’s captain, will likely get his desired extension (the Free Press figures it’ll be “north of $6 million” annually, and “in the range of $40 million” overall.) At 29 and coming off a career-high 62 points, he’s vitally important to the Jets and looks to be paid accordingly.

Which brings us to Byfuglien.

Though he’s coming off a stellar campaign of his own — 45 points in 69 games, an All-Star nod — Byfuglien plays on one of the NHL’s deepest bluelines. Tyler Myers (25 years old) and Jacob Trouba (21) represent the future, while Tobias Enstrom and Mark Stuart are locked in through 2018. All told, the Jets currently have 10 blueliners on NHL deals — Byfuglien, Myers, Trouba, Enstrom, Stuart, Grant Clitsome, Adam Pardy, Paul Postma and Ben Chiarot — and a pair of bright young prospects in Josh Morrissey and Jan Kostalek on the horizon.

So it’s fair to suggest something has to give.

Byfuglien’s heading into the last of a five-year, $26 million deal that pays $5.2M annually. Though he’s now officially on the wrong side of 30 — he’ll be 31 next March — Byfuglien likely still has high value across the league, and scored a handful of Norris votes this season.

So, the big question: If the Jets can’t afford to pay Byfuglien, especially after the Ladd extension, can they afford to let him hit free agency and lose an asset for nothing? GM Kevin Cheveldayoff already did that this summer with Michael Frolik, who flew the coop to sign in Calgary.

Can’t imagine Chevy wants that to happen again.