Detroit Red Wings’ Steve Yzerman stocks up on defense, signs Ben Chiarot

Detroit Free Press

Steve Yzerman continued his makeover of the Detroit Red Wings’ defense with the signing of free agent Ben Chiarot.

Chiarot got four years and $19 million, working out to an average annual value of $4.75 million.

Yzerman also signed defenseman Olli Määttä on Wednesday, within an hour of the market opening. Määttä got one at $2.25 million.

Chiarot, 31, is a veteran of 489 games. He’s 6 feet 3 and 234 pounds and shoots left. Like Määttä, Chiarot gives the Wings depth on the left side. He and Määttä project to fill out the top four, with a challenge likely from 2021 first-round pick Simon Edvinsson.

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Chiarot finished last season with the Florida Panthers, where he was part of a two-series playoff run. He previously played for the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets. Chiarot is a defensive defenseman, with 118 points and a minus-9 rating in nine-plus seasons.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from AmazonBarnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail. 

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