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April 24, 2022
Florida panthers

SUNRISE — One thing Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito looks very closely at when he is trying to acquire a new player is figuring out how said player will fit in with his tight-knit group.

The Panthers were said to be in on Montreal Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot for a long time before actually swinging a deal for him as the team did a lot of research before making the trade.

Chiarot is, as Zito had hoped, fitting in real nice.

Saturday night, he played close to 24 minutes in the Panthers’ 3-2 overtime win against Toronto.

That gave the Panthers a franchise-record 13-game winning streak heading into tonight’s game against the Lightning.

“When we looked at areas we thought we could help our team in, we thought this particular player checked a lot of boxes for us,” Zito told FHN after the trade went down.


“It is, ‘who is the person?’ We did extensive research on his character, who he is as a person; his competitiveness, how he will fit with our team. It’s as much the indivual as it is what our team needs.”

When Zito spoke, the Panthers did not need Chiarot as much as they thought they would.

A few days after the trade went down, Aaron Ekblad was hurt in Anaheim and would be put on long-term injured reserve.

He’s expected to be back for the playoffs — he has been skating and practiced with the team Tuesday on Long Island — but Chiarot’s addition has been a big help in the interim.

As is stands now, Chiarot has spent a lot of time playing with MacKenzie Weegar; he has also played with Brandon Montour and Gus Forsling. When Ekblad comes back, the Panthers now kind of know how things will look with Chiarot in the mix.

“It is a tough transition because we play a little bit different than other teams and maybe we do some things that are a little outside the box for him,” coach Andrew Brunette said. “He has done an unbelievable job of adapting. It is a lot to ask. But he is figuring it out, he is adapting. And he’s having fun. As a leader, he really fits in well with our group.”

The Panthers are known as a very welcoming group.

Chiarot mentioned this in his first public comments upon meeting the team in Montreal for his debut with the team last month.

The Panthers have obviously needed Chiarot’s play in the absence of Ekblad, but the trade was not made for the end of the regular season. Florida acquired Chiarot for what was coming next.

He knows this.

Chiarot made it deep into the playoffs last year as he helped the Canadiens upset the Maple Leafs in the first round last year en route to a surprising run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

One of the drawbacks when it came to Chiarot’s game was that he took too many penalties.

This season in Montreal, he was called for 21 minor penalties in 54 games; with the Panthers, he only has three in 16 games.

In Montreal, Chiarot was asked to carry a much heavier load as the Canadiens were hit hard with injuries and were seemingly out of the playoff race after the first few weeks of the season.

Playing on a team like the Panthers — who, even without Ekblad, still have the likes of Weegar, Montour, Gus Forsling and Radko Gudas — means being able to concentrate on the defensive side of his game.

It has been paying off.

“He’s strong and is made for the playoffs,” Brunette said. “He is that kind of player. We’re lucky to have him.”

Aside from the different style Florida plays, Chiarot has also had to adjust to the culture change not only in South Florida but with the Panthers as well.

While all the Canadiens did was lose this season, the Panthers have gone 15-1 since Chiarot joined the team.

It is a nice change of pace.

“It has been a lot of fun, obviously,” he said. “I came to a great team in a beautiful place. There’s not much else you could ask for. … It has been pretty easy, honestly. You’re moving the puck up to such good players, smart players who are always in the right spot. It makes it really easy for a defenseman.

“It has been pretty seamless. Sure, there are some things systems-wise that we do that I have to get used to … but that has come along pretty nicely.’’

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