Chiarot Almost Part of Toffoli Trade, Could Be Moved Next 7-10 Days

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, during Tuesday’s Insider Trading segment, the NHL insider noted that defenseman Ben Chiarot was discussed as part of the Tyler Toffoli trade to the Calgary Flames. A piece of what would have been a much bigger deal than the trade that actually went down, he notes the Habs may not wait long to move Chiarot.

Related: Ben Chiarot Injury Could Change, But Might Speed Up Trade Talks

Insider Trading: Chiarot was part of bigger trade talks with Flames, could be moved soon https://t.co/nburQKmU8Q

— NHL Trade Talk (@nhl_tradetalk) February 16, 2022

Saying the Flames were open to a bigger deal, the problem for Calgary was that the trade became too large to be realistic. Both Toffoli and Chiarot are expected to fetch first-round draft picks and if the Flames were to have landed both players, they would have had to give up significantly more than what they did send to Montreal for just Toffoli — a deal that required Calgary give up quite a bit. The Canadiens wanted to ensure they got the best return for both players and Calgary eventually bowed out.

Dreger adds that Calgary likely isn’t done adding players and will try to add a depth defenseman and maybe even a depth forward, but will have to find what they need without giving up what it would have cost to acquire Chiarot.

Pierre LeBrun suggests the Flames could circle back on Chiarot if another team doesn’t give Montreal what they want and the Habs are not expected to wait long to move the defenseman, having called a number of playoff contenders to see if there is interest. LeBrun suggests that with the slight injury scare that occurred this week, Montreal will try to deal him in the next 7-10 days and take the first offer that includes a first-round pick and an asset.

Next: Golden Knights GM Denies Rumored Trade Interest in Marc-Andre Fleury