When the Montreal Canadiens announced that franchise goaltender Carey Price would be sidelined with a lower body injury for at least a week, the crease was handed to rookie netminder Mike Condon. So far, he’s done a terrific job in relief, despite some fans clamoring that the season was over. Even in the 4-3 shootout loss versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, he faced 34 shots and allowed just 3 goals for a .912 save percentage.
Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Condon has compiled a 7-1-2 record with a .918 save percentage and a 2.14 goals against average. His one loss came in a bad game versus the Colorado Avalanche but a game like that was expected and he’ll have more like that before the year is over. The biggest question surrounding Condon is whether Montreal keeps him for the year or do they ship him out for some much needed help on the forward corps?
He has a high value right now, having proved that he can play in the NHL and face a high number of shots. In fact he has been shot at over 30 times four times so far and only lost one of those games. He’s still only played 10 games so the sample size is relatively small but just from watching him, you can see he’s got what is needed to be an NHL goaltender.
He has one more year left on his contract after 2015-16, so they do have at least until the trade deadline to get a good return if he keeps up these numbers. But the biggest quandary in trading Condon is that will leave Dustin Tokarski as the back up. Lately, Tokarski has been struggling in both the AHL and a 20 minute recover stint this season. He has not been the same player that gave Montreal a fighting chance in the 2014 playoffs versus the New York Rangers. One must also remember that Carey Price missed time in both the 2013 and 2014 playoffs due to injuries.
So if a deal was to happen involving Condon, another goalie would have to come back to the Habs unless Tokarski somehow turns his game around. Putting Condon in a package deal with another prospect or roster player could definitely net the Habs a winger who could contribute to their offense. The Habs have quite a few prospects, roster players, and draft picks along with Condon to use as trade bait for that ever elusive scoring forward.
On the other hand they could just roll with the team as it is and hope that the offense doesn’t falter by playoffs. It’s a risk but if you have two solid goalies in the crease, one being the 2014 Vezina Trophy winner, and the defense protects the net, chances are you’re winning.
Personally I would hang on to Condon, unless the deal involved a legitimate top six winger with term on his contract. He’s been great in the net for the Habs, giving them a solid chance to win each night he plays. He could still be traded in the summer for that forward and if he has a great year, his value may even be higher.
