Much to the chagrin of the TSN Tradecentre crew, the Montreal Canadiens elected not to wait until next week’s deadline to get their trades going, starting with one of their hottest assets. On Wednesday night, they announced that Ben Chiarot was on the move to the Florida Panthers in exchange for two draft picks, as well as prospect Tyler Smilanic.
Chiarot is on an expiring contract, so he is a rental for the Panthers unless they extend him. The lease on his services netted the Canadiens a first-rounder for a very attractive 2023 draft class, a prospect, and a bonus lottery ticket in the form of a fourth-rounder for the 2022 draft.