Goalie Condon gets new three-year deal
Capable backup Condon’s wish granted with new three-year, US$7.2M contract
Mike Condon is more than just the Senators’ newly secured backup plan.
He could also be their goalie of the future.
At least that’s what GM Pierre Dorion stated after signing Condon to a three-year, US$7.2-million extension that carries an average annual value of $2.4 million.
Not bad for a guy who was almost drummed out of the NHL in October — then rescued by the Senators’ season for a salary of $575,000.
“I think we all know Craig Anderson is our goalie right now, but when we look at the future, we know that Mike can be a No. 1 goalie one day,” Dorion said. “That was the reason for giving him this type of term.”
Dorion added that with this signing he will now attempt to trade Andrew Hammond, who was limited to just 11 games because of injuries last season. If there are no takers, the Senators could explore buying their way out of Hammond’s deal, which has one more season at $1.35 million.
The 27-year old Condon was headed to the AHL before being claimed by the Penguins with the last waiver selection in the fall. The Senators acquired him for a fifthround pick upon learning that Anderson would be missing significant amounts of time to be with his wife as she battled cancer — and Condon repaid them with some stellar goaltending.
In 40 games, he posted a 19-146 record with a 2.48 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. Condon set franchise records by playing in 27 consecutive games and becoming the fastest goaltender in team history to record five shutouts when he blanked the Devils in his 32nd game.
He and Anderson also tied a team record with 10 shutouts on the season.
“Super excited about this,” Condon said of the new deal from his home in Watertown, Mass. “It’s going to take a little while for it to sink in, but super happy it got done. I’m really excited for the future.
“Throughout the whole negotiating process I iterated that I wanted to stay here. I love the fit. I love everything about it. I didn’t really want to go anywhere else. I’m happy that we came to an agreement, and I’m happy it’s over.”
The list of options Dorion would have looked at if he had elected to go the free agent route is topped by the names Ryan Miller, Steve Mason and Ondrej Pavelec. In other words, Condon was the only logical choice for the job.
“For any team to have success, you need good goaltending ... I think you need two good goalies,” said Dorion, who called the getting Condon nailed down a priority. “We saw last year, a team like Pittsburgh had two good goalies and they needed both in the playoffs. Getting Mike signed is definitely a big day for our organization.”
Condon feels he proved something in his 27-game run.
“That was a long stretch,” he said. “As a goalie, it’s easy to play when you have a lot of energy and the body is feeling good. Through that stretch, when you’re playing that densely and you’re doing that many practices and games, it’s a real test of a goaltender to see how he plays when he doesn’t feel his best, when you’re not at the top of your game. That’s when you can really tell how you’re progressing as a goalie. I saw that time as a great challenge, to not only play but to play consistently throughout that time. I proved to myself a lot.”
Condon also spoke of the chemistry he has with Anderson, although he balked when asked if he would be satisfied as the backup again.
“Satisfied isn’t really a word I think athletes should use,” Condon said. “You should always be striving for your best and to be playing as much as you can. That being said, what Andy and I did last year, we worked very well together.
“Off the ice we were great, on the ice I thought we did a very good job of giving the team a chance to win . ... Hopefully, we can replicate that.”
I love the fit. I love everything about it. I didn’t really want to go anywhere else. I’m happy that we came to an agreement.