With all the noise around the Red Wings defense this year between rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka establishing himself in the NHL and Mo Seider working on putting together a Norris Trophy campaign, some of the team’s other defenseman can sometimes get lost in the mix. Ben Chiarot, who’s been in the league so long he was drafted by a team that no longer exists, is quietly having his best season in a Red Wings uniform this year.
Brought in with former linemate Jeff Petry to help bring some playoff experience to a young Detroit defense as Seider entered his sophomore season, Chiarot had been in the league since 2014 and had more than 300 career games before he came to wear the winged wheel.
Chiarot has spent much of his time in Detroit filling in a role he probably wasn’t expecting to step into when he arrived. There’s been a lot of turnover on the Red Wings blue line over Chiarot’s tenure with Detroit, and he found himself often on the flank of Seider on the top line. That, frankly, was not a good spot for the former Thrashers defenseman.
In his first year with the Red Wings, he ended the season with a -31 rating despite his 5 goals and 14 assists being the third highest in his career to that point. His numbers did improve in the 2023-24 season when he finished out with a -4 rating and one more assist, but it should be noted that that was the year Jake Walman finished out the season on the Red Wings top line.
Ben Chiarot has found the right role with the Red Wings
Before Simon Edvinsson started manning the top line full time this year, it was up to Chiarot to man some of the toughest minutes in the NHL alongside Seider, and you never heard the 10-plus-year vet complain about it. Now that the Red Wings do have Edvinsson on the top pair, Chiarot has been able to take a step back and mentor the Red Wings’ young prospects on the second and third pairings with Sandin Pellikka and Albert Johansson.
The results of putting Chiarot in an environment where’ his skill set actually fits, and his first positive rating at +1 since he finished the 2019-20 season with the Canadiens. On the second pairing, Chiarot has been able to display more of his offensive prowess, shooting at a higher rate than ever before and being a general pest in the opposing zone.
Chiarot needs only one more goal to match his career-high in a Red Wings uniform this year, and has kept pace with six assists. While this may be his last year in Hockeytown, as his contract is up at the end of the year, Chiarot is making sure if his time with the Red Wings is coming to an end he’s going out with a bang.
His 20 point pace, while not a career high, is certainly one of his best, and as the Red Wings gear up for a playoff run, there's nothing better than an experienced defenseman playing at the top of his game.