A veteran blueliner looks to be hanging around Hockeytown for a little bit longer.
On Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings announced that defenseman Ben Chiarot has been signed to a three-year contract extension. The deal, set to kick in next season, carries an AAV of $3.85 million.
BENNY! 🗣️
The #RedWings have signed Ben Chiarot to a three-year contract extension with an AAV of $3,850,000.
Chiarot is in the final season of his four-year contract that he signed with the Red Wings in July 2022. The deal carries a $4.75 million cap hit and includes a modified no-trade clause.
There are no reports of any clauses in Chiarot’s new agreement.
The Hamilton, Ont. native was brought to Motown to provide some experience and poise on a rebuilding team. While his play has been inconsistent, he has proven to be a needed presence on a Detroit roster with many young defenders, including Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson.
Along with the team’s massive improvement so far this year, parts of Chiarot’s game have looked better. In 54 games, the 34-year-old has scored four goals and seven assists for 11 points. He has a plus/minus of +1 while averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per game.
In 777 regular-season games in the NHL, Chiarot has scored 49 goals and 132 assists for 181 points, with another eight points in 66 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
With Chiarot’s new extension, the Wings have four defenders on their active roster signed through the 2027-28 campaign, including Seider, who’s on the books through the 2030-31 season. General manager Steve Yzerman’s work is far from done. Along with pending unrestricted free agents Travis Hamonic and Erik Gustafsson, the team has to work on Edvinsson’s new deal, as he’s coming to the end of his entry-level contract.
The Red Wings (32-17-5) are second in the Atlantic Division, one point back of the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place.
