The Detroit Red Wings decided to prevent Ben Chiarot, 34, from testing his value on this summer’s NHL free agent market by signing him to a three-year contract extension.
His average salary on the new deal, which begins next season, is $3.85 million per season. That’s reflects a $1 million per season pay cut. The salary reflects his age, not his performance level. The pay cut recognizes the risk involved in signing players entering their mid-30s.
Chiarot has proven his value with consistent play in a variety of roles with a variety of defensive partners.
Ben Chiarot, extended 3x$3.9M by DET, is a physical veteran defenceman. Despite having good size, decent mobility, and some puck-carrying ability, his team tends to get completely wrecked when he’s on the ice and his partners tend to fare much worse next to him. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/npltmqttg3
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 28, 2026
Chiarot has been paired with Moritz Seider in the past, but this season he has served as defensive partner and mentor to rookie defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka. Even with Sandin-Pellikka making rookie mistakes, Chiarot is plus-one on the season.
He’s a 230-pound defender who is second on the Red Wings in blocked shots (113) and hits (109). He averages 21:07 minutes per game. Chiarot has four goals and seven assists for 11 points.