{"id":433979,"date":"2026-01-29T08:01:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T08:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/433979\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T08:01:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T08:01:33","slug":"red-wings-lock-in-veteran-defender-on-three-year-extension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/433979\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Wings Lock In Veteran Defender On Three Year Extension"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"4y\">The Detroit Red Wings secured a key piece of their defensive core this week when they announced a three-year contract extension for Ben Chiarot. The veteran D-man agreed to terms on a deal carrying an annual average value of $3.85 million, keeping him in Detroit through the 2028-29 season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"51\">The extension comes as Chiarot approaches the final months of his current four-year, $19 million contract signed in July 2022. Rather than letting the 33-year-old reach unrestricted free agency this summer, Detroit moved proactively to secure his services for the next three years.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BENNY! \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RedWings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">#RedWings<\/a> have signed Ben Chiarot to a three-year contract extension with an AAV of $3,850,000. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MXrDz66tyU\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/MXrDz66tyU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DetroitRedWings\/status\/2016512876253478953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">January 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"57\">Chiarot has become a steady presence on Detroit&#8217;s blue line since arriving from Florida three and a half years ago. The 6-foot-3, 222-pound defenseman brings the physical edge and veteran leadership the Red Wings value as they push for their first playoff berth since 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Consistency in Shutdown Role<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5d\">Through 53 games this season, Chiarot has contributed four goals and seven assists while averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per contest. His value extends beyond the scoresheet, as he continues providing the hits and shot blocks that have become his trademark.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5g\">The Hamilton native has logged at least 100 hits and 100 blocks in each of the past three seasons with Detroit. His physical style and willingness to play in all situations make him a valuable asset for a team fighting for playoff positioning in a brutally competitive Atlantic Division.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5j\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/onsi\/breakaway\/atlantic-division-nhls-toughest-anyones-game\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Detroit currently sits at 32-17-5<\/a>, battling for a postseason spot alongside multiple division rivals. The Red Wings have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/onsi\/breakaway\/detroit-red-wings\/patrick-kane-ties-mike-modano-all-time-record\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">worked to build sustainable success<\/a> after missing the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons, and keeping veterans like Chiarot fits that plan.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5m\">Chiarot brings extensive playoff experience from deep runs with Montreal and Florida. He helped the Canadiens reach the 2021 Stanley Cup Final and contributed to the Panthers&#8217; run after being acquired at the 2022 trade deadline. That postseason pedigree carries significant value for a young Detroit roster hungry to end its playoff drought.<\/p>\n<p>Long-Term Commitment<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5s\">The extension represents Detroit&#8217;s continued investment in experienced defensemen who can mentor younger players while contributing in meaningful minutes. Chiarot will be 36 when the deal expires, but his durable track record suggests he can maintain effectiveness throughout the contract.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5v\">Detroit hosts Los Angeles before continuing its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/onsi\/breakaway\/detroit-red-wings\/giving-lightning-run-money\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">push through the second half<\/a> of the season with Chiarot now locked in as a long-term piece of the defensive group.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5y\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/onsi\/breakaway\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Detroit Red Wings secured a key piece of their defensive core this week when they announced a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":433980,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5101],"tags":[599,93,5137,5,4,3358,5138],"class_list":{"0":"post-433979","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-red-wings","8":"tag-detroit","9":"tag-detroit-red-wings","10":"tag-detroitredwings","11":"tag-hockey","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-red-wings","14":"tag-redwings"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115977341025996769","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}