Panthers make big move, acquire Ben Chiarot from Montreal

By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers landed one of the most coveted players on the trade market Wednesday night, acquiring defenseman Ben Chiarot from the Montreal Canadiens for Tyler Smilanic and two draft picks. It was the second deal of the day for the Panthers, who cleared out about $2.5 million in cap room earlier Wednesday when they shipped forward Frank Vatrano — who had two goals for Florida on Tuesday night, including an overtime gamewinner — to the New York Rangers for a fourth-round draft pick. That was the clear indication that the Panthers were looking to do more, and hours later, the deal for Chiarot was done.