The Free Press’s Helene St. James reports that Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde believes that Ben Chiarot’s return from personal leave (his father passed away due to cancer) will reinforce the Red Wings’ lineup:
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.”
St. James posted a video of Lalonde’s remarks as well:
