Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff suggests that the Red Wings should not acquire Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers:
Hockey people love them some comparables, so let’s get to it. Look at those numbers. Try and decipher one area of the game in which Trouba would provide a major uptick over Chiarot.
Neither has scored a goal this season. Chiarot has three assists, while Trouba shows six helpers. They both log about the same amount of ice time. Chiarot is playing 20:53 per game, while Trouba clocks in at exactly 20:00 per night.
Trouba is -3, while Chiarot is -11, but certainly toiling for a much poorer club. Trouba averages just under three giveaways per game (2.87), while Chiarot is just shy of four (3.75). Trouba has blocked 68 shots and Chiarot has got in the way of 58 shots. Chiarot’s SAT percentage is 41.4, while Trouba is at 45.9.
The physical element of the game is a factor the Trouba supporters are pushing as an upgrade. Well, he’s delivered 39 hits this season, three more than Chiarot. Let’s also remember that Trouba is skating in a third pairing for the Rangers, while Chiarot is logging top-four minutes for Detroit. Chiarot is playing against better opposition.
Not we’re not trying to say that Chiarot’s game hasn’t gone off a cliff this season. It most certainly has taken a downturn. At the time, Trouba isn’t anywhere near the defender he once was.
At this juncture, we still haven’t even talked about the money factor. Chiarot has one more season after this one at $4.75 million. That pact is the cause of no end of anguish among the Detroit faithful, and we’re not saying you’re wrong on that account.
