MONTREAL

Montreal Canadiens trade Chiarot to Panthers for forward Smilanic, picks

Published Wednesday, March 16, 2022 8:23PM EDT Last Updated Thursday, March 17, 2022 7:34AM EDT

Montreal Canadiens' Ben Chiarot, left, and Mike Hoffman celebrate after a goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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The Montreal Canadians traded defenceman Ben Chiarot to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday for forward Tyler Smilanic.

The Canadiens also get a first-round pick in 2023 and a fourth-round pick in 2022, previously acquired from the New York Rangers.

The Canadiens retain 50 per cent of Chiarot's salary for the remainder of this season.

Smilanic, a left-handed forward, recorded 22 points (13 goals, 9 assists) in 38 games in his second season with Quinnipiac University in the NCAA. The 6-foot-one, 177-pound centre ranked second on the team in goals. The Denver native was selected in the third round, 74th overall, by Florida in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Chiarot joined the Canadiens as a free agent, signing a three-year contract on July 4, 2019. The defenceman recorded 46 points in 164 games with Montreal.

General Manager Kent Hughes is scheduled to speak to the media about the trade at a news conference Thursday at 10 a.m.

The news conference will be carried live on CTVNewsMontreal.ca and TSN 690.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2022, with reporting from CTV News.