Ben Chiarot showed last season that he still brings value to the Detroit Red Wings lineup, but heading into his age-34 campaign and the final year of his contract, he's also one of the more replaceable players. And that's at the absolute least.
This season, the Wings hope Chiarot can still give them 21-plus minutes per contest and hold up well on the durability side. Detroit's still not the most physical team out there, so getting someone like Chiarot to land 120-plus body checks is paramount, as is 140-plus blocked shots.
He won't give you much in the way of points, with just 52 throughout his three seasons in Detroit. Still, he's a good complement to someone like Moritz Seider, and it wouldn't surprise me if the two ended up together on the first pairing for at least a portion of the season.
Ben Chiarot's got to give the Detroit Red Wings at least solid play for another year
There's nobody in the defensive rotation who'll push Chiarot for ice time beyond Simon Edvinsson, which shows us how much the Wings are clawing for production on the blue line. Albert Johansson's still working his way in, even if his returns have been promising, and neither Erik Gustafsson, Justin Holl, nor Travis Hamonic look like they have any business playing longer than 16 minutes per contest.
Jacob Bernard-Docker could be a winner, but he looks destined for the third pairing. It'd also be smart to keep Axel Sandin-Pellikka in the American League until he proves he's ready for the physical and mental demands the NHL brings.
So, unless the Red Wings make a move none of us see coming, expect Chiarot to sidle into the top four and bring a moderately physical, stay-at-home game. Still, there are some caveats I'd like to see at least stabilize this year.
Chiarot's got his work cut out for him in what's probably his last season in Detroit
For one, he's been on the ice at even strength for one too many goals allowed, a whopping 75 last season. That's not encouraging, especially when you consider it's his career-best in the Winged Wheel.
He was part of that awful penalty kill that saw the Wings reach historically bad levels. I'm not saying he shouldn't be part of it again this season, but a 78.4 on-ice save percentage while at 4-on-5 isn't what you want from someone who saw 140.2 minutes on the PK.
For 2025-26, we need better play from Chiarot while he acts as a stop gap for up-and-coming blueliners like Axel Sandin-Pellikka.