By Pierre Dorion’s recollection, it did not take long for the Ottawa general manager to come to an agreement with Pittsburgh counterpart Jim Rutherford on a season-saving deal.
“He didn’t really fool around,’’ Dorion said of Rutherford, who was offering goalie Mike Condon for a low-level draft pick. “It was, ‘If you want Mike Condon, this is the price.’ It took two or three calls. It was very respectful. We got the deal done. The deal happened in a matter of a few short days.’’
Dorion is not in the forecasting business. When asked whether the Senators would be in a playoff position without Condon, Dorion would only say the Holliston native has been part of the team’s success.
It’s possible, however, that had Dorion not identified Condon as a necessary addition worthy of a 2017 fifth-round pick, Ottawa would be chasing the Bruins instead of leading them.
Before acquiring Condon, the Senators were in crisis mode. Ottawa granted Craig Anderson a one-game leave of absence against Calgary on Oct. 28. Anderson’s wife, Nicholle, had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Ottawa turned to Andrew Hammond, the backup who became a legend in 2014-15 as the Hamburglar, helping to dislodge the Bruins from postseason qualification. The Senators recalled Chris Driedger from Binghamton, their AHL affiliate, to be their No. 2.
Hammond, however, played only 20 minutes against the Flames because of a groin injury. Driedger allowed four goals on 15 shots in Ottawa’s 5-2 loss.
Anderson returned two nights later to shut out Edmonton, 2-0. But the ace’s situation was undetermined ahead of his wife’s treatment. Hammond’s injury was not short term.
Ottawa had AHL depth in Driedger and former Boston University puck-stopper Matt O’Connor. But the Senators did not think it would be a good idea to lean on either goalie. Driedger had two NHL appearances before this season. O’Connor lost his only NHL start on Oct. 11, 2015, coincidentally against Condon when he was playing for the Canadiens. Senators owner Eugene Melnyk later shredded then-coach Dave Cameron for starting O’Connor.
“To put them in that situation would have done neither one of them good,’’ Dorion said.
Acquiring an ace was not realistic. But the Senators needed a goalie who could at least provide them starts before settling into a No. 2 position. It was too critical a need not to address.
“Whether we have a condensed schedule moving forward, the backup is even more important,’’ Dorion said. “The role of the backup or however you want to phrase it, you have to know it’s in good hands. You need two good goalies to have a chance to get you a win every night. You can’t feel you can shortsight your team by having someone else in net.’’
The Senators considered their options. Condon was their preferred target. The Holliston native played in a career-high 55 games last season because of Carey Price’s knee injury. He went 21-25-6 with a 2.71 goals-against average and .903 save percentage. Condon posted one of his wins at Gillette Stadium during the Winter Classic. For Condon, who attended Country Fest events at Gillette, it was a lifetime thrill to claim the win at Foxborough.
But during the offseason, Montreal identified Al Montoya as an upgrade. When they signed the veteran to a one-year, $950,000 contract to be Price’s backup, Condon’s future destination was clear: waivers. Condon did not clear. The Penguins needed a backup for Marc-Andre Fleury after Matt Murray broke his hand during the World Cup of Hockey. So when Montreal waived Condon on Oct. 10, the Penguins made their claim.
Condon served as insurance in Pittsburgh. Fleury started every game during Murray’s absence. Condon’s only action took place in relief duty on Oct. 22 against Nashville after Fleury gave up five goals on 23 shots.
Three days later, the Penguins activated Murray. For the next week, they carried three goalies, fearful they would lose Condon on waivers if they tried to assign him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. That didn’t happen.
On Nov. 2, Ottawa and Pittsburgh agreed to the trade. One day later, Condon stopped 27 pucks in a 1-0 shutout of Vancouver.
Condon served as Anderson’s backup for the next month. He posted a 31-save win against Buffalo on Nov. 9. The Predators slipped five of 40 shots behind him in an 5-1 loss on Nov. 17.
But when Anderson went on an extended leave in December and January, Condon took over the net. Coach Guy Boucher rode Condon for 27 straight games, a franchise record.
Anderson returned on Feb. 11 and blanked the Islanders, 3-0. Condon (17-9-5, 2.48 GAA, .914 save percentage) will be Anderson’s backup for the rest of the season and maybe longer. Hammond is under contract through 2018 at a $1.35 million average annual value. Condon will be unrestricted. But the Senators assigned Hammond to Binghamton on Feb. 12. Dorion is speaking with Michael Wulkan, Condon’s agent, about an extension.
“We’ve felt comfortable with Mike for the simple reason that he’s shown this year that he’s been able to do the job when called upon,’’ Dorion said. “He’s helped us win games. We gave Andrew a game there a week ago. Andrew’s struggling a little bit to find his game. Unfortunately, the team played one of its worst games in front of him. With Craig coming back, we all know what Craig means to the organization. We felt both Craig and Mike needed their reps.’’
The Bruins are one of the teams foiled by leaky backup goaltending. Others include Edmonton, Columbus, the New York Islanders, and Toronto, who have all waived their backups. The Senators could have been in this cluster. But they doused their brushfire before it became an inferno.
FEW OPTIONS
Therrien’s next move a mystery
Marc Bergevin and Claude Julien made sure to offer their respective stick salutes to Michel Therrien, who was sacked in Montreal while coaching a first-place team.
“Mike is a guy that fought his whole life to get where he is today,’’ said Bergevin, the Canadiens’ GM, who visited Therrien at his house on Tuesday to deliver the news. “He’s a fighter. That’s what makes him a great coach. He fought until the end. I told him, ‘That’s why I respect you.’ That’s why he’s going to have success moving forward, because he’s a fighter.’’
Julien had similar things to say.
“Mike is a good coach,’’ Julien said. “I know that from coaching against him. He’s not an easy coach to match lines against. He did a great job there. I wish Mike the best of luck. I know he’s a good coach. I know he’ll bounce back at some point.’’
That might be easier said than done.
Therrien is 53 years old. He’s been fired twice by the Canadiens and once by the Penguins. Part of the reason Montreal brought him back for a second tour in 2012 is because he speaks French. Randy Cunneyworth closed out the 2011-12 season after Jacques Martin’s dismissal. But Cunneyworth was not considered a permanent replacement partly because he is an Anglophone.
Perhaps Quebec City will become the NHL’s 32nd team at some point. Therrien might be a candidate. But Therrien will be in his mid-50s by then. Patrick Roy, former coach of the QMHJL’s Quebec Remparts, will be the front-runner for the NHL team’s job, regardless of whether it is via expansion or relocation.
It leaves Therrien with limited options. Around the league, he’s not considered as sound a coach as Julien. He can wear on his players. He emphasizes pack-it-in defense, sometimes excessively. Therrien is OK with his defensemen sending pucks out wildly instead of requiring crisp movement.
So while a GM requiring a short-term fix-it might consider Therrien, it might be hard for him to find employment. Assistants such as John Stevens, Todd Reirden, Scott Arniel, and Kevin Dineen are pushing for head jobs. Teams would be wise to dip into college hockey, where Norm Bazin, Nate Leaman, and David Quinn are commodities just within Hockey East.
Life behind an NHL bench is not easy. Therrien may have had enough.
“Being an NHL coach is a tough job,’’ Therrien said in a statement. “It is gratifying on many levels, but it can also quickly become a thankless task. When a team is experiencing difficulties, any head coach knows his job is on the line. I understand and accept this reality.’’
LIMITED POSSIBILITIES
Trade deadline may be a dud
The March 1 trade deadline is less than two weeks away. It’s possible that Cup chasers such as Washington, Pittsburgh, and Minnesota look into roster-finishing rentals for depth purposes.
But based on chatter around the league, the deadline is not shaping up to be a locus of activity involving first-round picks, prospects, and players with term changing teams. The refrain that executives are parroting around the league: The draft-and-develop blueprint is not negotiable.
Part of this is because of current circumstances. The $73 million salary cap is not expected to rise significantly in 2017-18, if at all. The only committed sellers are Colorado and Arizona because of the parity promoted by the cap and the points system. Teams are pursuing compliance for the expansion draft out of fear of losing a first-round pick for not meeting the league’s criteria.
But teams also are finally wising up to the fact that drafting and developing is the most effective team-building approach. If trades happen, they take place before the draft when picks are in play and budgets have yet to be filled. The deadline is more for complementary acquisitions.
“The way to improve is from within,’’ said Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin. “It’s the best way and easiest way. If we’re going to sacrifice a young prospect to get a fix, it’s not going to happen. There are barely any trades in the NHL. There’s a reason why. You make your team in July, hope you stay healthy, and try to address needs at the trade deadline. If the price is asking for young prospects, it’s not going to happen.’’
Short-term spike
Even Claude Julien can’t argue that his dismissal has created good fortune for his former team. “Who can say he didn’t make the right move with three wins in a row?’’ Julien asked of Bruins GM Don Sweeney during a Wednesday conference call. “It certainly had an immediate impact.’’ The Bruins are not alone in recording fast points following a coaching change. St. Louis rattled off four straight wins after replacing Ken Hitchcock with Mike Yeo. The Islanders won five of their first six games after Doug Weight took over for Jack Capuano. Bergevin is hoping he’s next to experience a short-term bump. “Players don’t go in the night of the game and say, ‘You know what? It’s not working. I’m not going to go work hard,’ ’’ Bergevin said of players not responding to a former coach. “That’s not the case. It’s unconscious, the things you do. It’s a fine line between winning and losing. When you lose that little edge, it makes a difference and you can’t have success. Sometimes with a new coach and a new voice, it brings teams back to where they should be.’’
Eaves again a commodity
If you picked ex-Boston College winger Patrick Eaves to score more goals than Jamie Benn, you have a spot waiting for you in Las Vegas, and not as the Golden Knights’ inaugural coach. Through Thursday, Eaves had 21 goals, two more than Benn, one of the game’s elite power forwards. It’s a career high for Eaves, whose previous best was 20 strikes in 58 games for Ottawa as a rookie in 2005-06. The Bruins acquired Eaves from Carolina for Aaron Ward, then promptly bought out the ex-Eagle. They had no intention of keeping Eaves because of his injury history. But the 32-year-old Eaves is enjoying an injury-free revival at exactly the right time. The Stars should get a decent return for the unrestricted free agent-to-be, who could be a good third-line right wing on a deep team. Buyer beware, however, on the team that considers Eaves a go-to July 1 signing. By then, he will be 33.
Depth in D.C.
The Capitals made a sound investment in acquiring veteran defenseman Tom Gilbert from Los Angeles for future considerations. According to the Capitals, if Washington wins two rounds in the playoffs and Gilbert appears in half the games, the Kings will receive a 2017 fifth-rounder. If neither condition is met, the Capitals are on the hook for nothing. The 34-year-old Gilbert played in only 18 games for LA this season before being assigned to the AHL. Gilbert, initially assigned to Hershey, Washington’s farm club, will serve as insurance in case the defense gets banged up. It’s similar to last year, when GM Brian MacLellan acquired stay-at-homer Mike Weber from Buffalo for a 2017 third-round pick. Weber appeared in 10 regular-season games and two postseason matches for the Capitals.
Smith finally makes debut
Jeremy Smith, shafted multiple times by the Bruins, finally made his NHL debut on Tuesday for Colorado. Smith stopped 27 of 30 shots to backstop the lowly Avalanche to a 3-2 road win over New Jersey. The 27-year-old had made 265 AHL appearances, including 59 for Providence, and played in 43 ECHL games before strapping on the pads for his first NHL start. Colorado signed Smith to a one-year, $675,000 contract to serve as AHL depth behind Semyon Varlamov and Calvin Pickard. But with Varlamov shelved for the season because of hip surgery, Smith finally earned the nod against the Devils. Smith did nothing but stop pucks in his two seasons in Providence, even while the Bruins did their best to give Malcolm Subban a chance at the starting job. In 2014-15, Smith posted a .933 save percentage in 39 appearances, which should have been good enough to make him Tuukka Rask’s backup the following season. But when the Bruins made the unfortunate decision to sign Jonas Gustavsson after inviting him to camp, they loaned Smith to Iowa, Minnesota’s AHL affiliate. Upon his return to Providence, Smith went 13-5-1 with a 2.02 GAA and .934 save percentage. Despite a portfolio of evidence showing he was ready, Smith never got a chance with the Bruins.
Loose pucks
Ex-Bruin Joe Colborne went 42 games between goals. Colborne recorded a hat trick in Colorado’s season-opening 6-5 win over Dallas on Oct. 15. The center didn’t score again until Colorado’s 5-1 loss to the Islanders on Feb. 12. Colborne, jettisoned by Calgary last year, is under contract with Colorado for one more season at $2.5 million, a high cost for a fourth-liner . . . Everyone acknowledges that plus-minus is a flawed statistic. It is not an accurate reflection of a player’s defensive presence. However, based on his current pace, Brandon Carlo could earn as much as $212,500 for being among the Bruins’ top three defensemen in plus-minus. Carlo (plus-1) is currently second on the team behind Zdeno Chara (plus-5). It is baffling why this perk remains in the collective bargaining agreement given the rating’s irrelevance . . . Old friend Matt Bartkowski resurfaced on Wednesday in Calgary, where he signed a two-year, two-way contract. The ex-Bruin lasted 34 games with Providence on an AHL contract, scoring two goals and eight assists.
The 28-year-old defenseman scored six goals and 12 assists in 80 games for Vancouver last season . . . The NHL suspended Gustav Nyquist for six games for nearly making his stick a permanent addition to Jared Spurgeon’s face. As someone who makes a mess of the turkey, my door is open to Nyquist on Thanksgiving if he cares to lend his carving touch.
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeFluto. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.
