Former Senator Forward Goes From Everyday NHL Player in Ottawa to China-Based KHL Team

Rourke Chartier played regularly for the first third of the Ottawa Senators season last year but will now ply his trade in the KHL.

In the NHL, life comes at you pretty fast.

Last fall, journeyman pro centre Rourke Chartier earned a spot as an everyday Ottawa Senator. Thanks to Shane Pinto's absence, Chartier started every one of Ottawa's first 25 games, playing on the fourth line as a defensive centre. It was a fantastic run for a 27-year-old who, to that point, had played in all of 19 career NHL games.

But on December 15th, he suffered an upper-body injury against the Dallas Stars that knocked him out of the lineup for a month, and the timing, as it turned out, couldn't have been worse. 

Three days after Chartier got hurt, D.J. Smith, the coach who believed in him, got fired. By the time Chartier got healthy, Pinto had re-signed and returned from his suspension. But with Josh Norris about to get hurt again, Smith might have found a spot for Chartier again. Instead, interim coach Jacques Martin used Chartier sparingly. He cleared waivers and spent considerable time in Belleville. 

Chartier was originally signed by Pierre Dorion, who was also dismissed. His replacement, Steve Staios, had a different view of Chartier and opted not to re-sign him this summer. Presumably, Chartier's phone hasn't been ringing over the past couple of weeks during NHL free agency.

There's no crime in any of this. Chartier is a solid American Hockey League-level talent who could eat minutes in the NHL without hurting you defensively. He filled in well, but the Sens could and did find better options.

But it'll be quite a contrast to go from the National Hockey League one fall to a China-based KHL club the next. Chartier signed with Kunlun Red Star this week.

While Kunlun is based in China, they've played their home games in the Moscow area since 2020. If Chartier thought Ottawa's recent lack of success was something, wait until he gets a load of Kunlun, a perennial KHL cellar dweller. 

The team is trying to change that by signing even more North American pros. Along with Chartier, Kunlun has also signed former NHLers Adam Clendening, Ian McCoshen, and Jayden Halbgewachs this off-season.

Yes, life moves pretty fast in the NHL. You never know when your opportunity will arrive...or disappear.