Mike Condon Placed on Waivers
The Sens’ backup struggled in last night’s game against Arizona.
The Ottawa Senators have placed Mike Condon on waivers, following his rough game last night against Arizona. The Sens’ backup goalie, originally acquired via trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins two years ago, was pulled last night after giving three goals on eleven shots, including this blunder, in his second start of the season.
Jerabek clears. Street (ANA) & Condon (OTT) on waivers
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 31, 2018
This could mean a few things for the Senators. It could simply be sending a message to Condon, and hoping he can regain some confidence in the AHL if he ends up clearing. One of Mike McKenna or Filip Gustavsson could be recalled (likely McKenna) while Condon gets his act together.
But because this is the Senators, it’s hard to ignore the possibility that this is just another desperate attempt to cut costs, similar to the Zack Smith situation earlier this year. Condon is signed for one more year after this on a rising salary, as although his average pay throughout the contract is $2.4 million, he’ll be making $2.5 million this season, and $3 million the year after. With his poor early play, this could be an opportunistic chance for the Senators to unload one of their worse contracts.
Looking again to the Zack Smith case, there’s still a chance that he could clear and be assigned right back to the NHL roster. If not, an opportunity could open up for McKenna, a 35-year-old veteran with 24 NHL games under his belt, to steal the backup job.
