3 Defenseman the Red Wings Should Target in Free Agency

Ben Chiarot, LHD

The Detroit Red Wings could potentially be losing both Marc Staal and Danny DeKeyser this off-season which is fair. But if they do let them go, they will need to replace their experience.

With Moritz Seider, Gustav Lindstrom, and potentially Simon Edvinsson. They will have a very young defenseman core. With that comes many mistakes which is fine for young players to make because that’s how they are going to learn. But, in the defensive zone, that’s not the time to mess with the puck. That’s the time when you move the puck forward and you should never move the puck across the middle of the ice.

When it comes to the NHL, these players will capitalize on errors. So, in order to balance out the rookies or younger players, you need veterans who have the experience to counteract the younger players mistakes. Ben Chiarot could be a great addition for that very reason.

Chiarot who was apart of the 2021 Montreal Canadiens team that made it to the Stanley cup. Of course, they later lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. But, Chiarot was one of the players who really helped them get there. But we also have come to learn that the Canadiens were 100% pretenders as this past season was quite awful. That being said, the Canadiens decided to part with Chiarot.

Chiarot was dealt at the trade deadline to the Florida Panthers in exchange for their first-round pick next season, their 2022 fourth-round pick, and unsigned prospect, Ty Smilanic.

That trade was meant to help bolster their defense to the next level in hopes of the Panthers competing for the cup. Now, although they did make the playoffs, the President’s trophy curse struck them down.

Now, Chiarot is a unrestricted free agent and will more than likely be getting targeted by many teams. I’m not very confident that the Red Wings will actually target him, but I do feel like he could be a very good pickup for the Wings should they make a good enough offer for him.

Now, with that being said, I will say that one of the cons I have to this signing is the fact that he doesn’t fit the style of play that the Red Wings have. The Red Wings are young and fast. Chiarot is not.

He’s an older player, but he’s a very physical defenseman who doesn’t shy away from contact. But, it’s for that reason that I feel the Red Wings could use him. Chiarot could be the person we are missing defensively.

He would bring the tenacity, and veteran presence on the team that would bolster some of the younger guys and give them someone they could truly learn from. The biggest question mark over his head and a signing happening is, how much is he valued by other organizations and what would a contract look like.