Chartrand Put on Waivers, Faces an Uncertain Future

The ax that has hovered over the head of the Kings’ Brad Chartrand for a month fell Wednesday.

Chartrand was put on waivers and, if he clears, will be sent to the Kings’ Lowell affiliate in the AHL. If he doesn’t clear waivers, he will have a new employer.

Four weeks ago, he was centering a line that included Ziggy Palffy.

“I’d like to get to a point in my career where I wouldn’t have to worry about solidifying my job, but I knew coming into camp that this could happen,” said Chartrand, who has played center and winger in training camp and exhibition games.

“I couldn’t let that affect me.”

The center work was in place of Jozef Stumpel, still holding out in Slovakia. Chartrand gave way to Eric Belanger two weeks ago. Belanger has had an excellent training camp and figures to start on a line between Palffy and Luc Robitaille in the opener Friday at Washington.

“When you know your job is on the line, every practice, every intrasquad game is important,” Chartrand said. “You know that there are hungry, younger players who want to take it. That gives you an edge.”

There are no hungrier players than Chartrand, 25, who came up through the Canadian National team program, playing for King Coach Andy Murray. When Murray became the King coach, he brought in Chartrand, who scored six goals and had six assists in 50 games playing various roles, mostly as a checker and penalty killer.

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Stumpel’s agent, Benji Robins, and Dave Taylor, the Kings’ senior vice president and general manager, exchanged messages, breaking a 12-day silence that followed the Kings’ ultimatum to their center.

The Kings have offered a three-year contract with a beginning salary of $2.45 million plus bonuses, escalating to a value exceeding $7 million over the three seasons.

Stumpel earned $1.75 million last season, when he scored 17 goals and had 41 assists.

Among the major points of disagreement is a fine imposed by the Kings of $9,800 for each day of training camp missed. Were Stumpel to sign today, he would earn slightly below the $2.2 million the Kings offered in August.

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The Kings worked on their power play Wednesday, trying to firm up units that scored seven goals in 49 exhibition-game chances.

Center Bryan Smolinski moved in with Robitaille and Palffy on the first power-play unit, which also includes defensemen Rob Blake and Mathieu Schneider.

The second unit probably will include Nelson Emerson, Glen Murray and Steve Reinprecht, with Jason Blake also a possibility. Defensemen are rookie Lubomir Visnovsky and either Jaroslav Modry or Jere Karalahti.