'Extremely valuable' Ben Chiarot back in Detroit Red Wings lineup at Chicago Blackhawks
Ben Chiarot is earmarked to get a look next to newcomer Justin Holl as the Detroit Red Wings enter their second week of exhibition season.
Chiarot's availability for Tuesday's game at the Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m.) came after three days of skates. Chiarot was excused from the start of training camp for personal reasons.
"Reps will be important for him," Wings coach Derek Lalonde said Tuesday morning.
Other than the top unit of Moritz Seider and Jake Walman, the defense pairings remain under evaluation, with Shayne Gostisbehere, Jeff Petry and Olli Määttä also competing for minutes. "It's a luxury we have with seven D that we are all comfortable with," Lalonde said. "They've all shown pretty well so far in camp."
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Chiarot, 32, finished last season with 19 points in 76 games, along with a minus-31 rating. That latter number is ugly, but plus-minus — a stat that gives a point to a player who is on the ice when an even-strength or shorthanded goal is scored, and minus a point if the opponent scores in those situations — isn't solely reflective of an individual. And Chiarot plays a forceful game, maximizing his 6-foot-3, 232 pound size.
"Beating the Ben Chiarot drum, he is extremely valuable to us," Lalonde said. "Even last year, I was fielding some questions on some of his underlying numbers to us. I think he is very valuable to us in a lot of ways.
"People are getting away a little bit from that plus-minus. I still think there is some value to it. He was culpable for some of it, but a lot of it was circumstantial."
Ville Husso is scheduled to play the first half of the game in net at United Center, and Michael Hutchinson the second half.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Ben Chiarot is 'extremely valuable' to Detroit Red Wings
