Today as we continue our Senators' report cards, we look at the only pending unrestricted free agent on the roster, Erik Condra
PRE-SEASON EXPECTATION
Entering the final year of his contract and probably the last year of his tenure as a Senator, Condra was expected to be in and out of the lineup, filling a fourth line role as a checker and penalty killer when he got into the lineup.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
While that prediction was pretty much coming true under Paul MacLean, the firing of the 'Stache opened a new door for Condra, who became a fixture in the lineup under Dave Cameron.
By the end of the season, Condra had set a career high in goals (9), and +/- (+13) while his assist and point totals would have been career highs had he played a full season. He was just 3 assists and 2 points off his career highs set in 2011-12, a season where he played 81 games.
He cemented a second line with a pair of youngsters, Jean Gabriel Pageau and Curtis Lazar. The trio was probably the most consistent down the stretch and although the offense wasn't always there, they did their jobs and were momentum-swingers.
THE HARD STATS
(TYPO ALERT: Ice time should read 8th among Forwards, not defensemen)
THE FANCY STATS
Looking at some other similar role players in the Atlantic Division, compared with Condra:
THE "KEY" STATS
Considering he didn't see much power play time, his total of 21 Even Strength Points was pretty impressive.
Condra's +13 rating was 3rd among all Sens forwards.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
This is the reason the contracts of the likes of David Legwand, Chris Neil, Zack Smith are so constrictive. Condra should be a fixture on the Sens bottom 6 but in all likelihood, will become a free agent at the beginning of July because the Senators simply don't have enough space for him. Not necessarily in terms of cap space, but roster space. Unless Bryan Murray can swap out multiple contracts during his attempt to upgrade in other areas, then Condra will test the market. No doubt his play this season has turned some heads and earned him a decent payday and a raise on the $1.2M he made this year. Don't expect Greening money but somewhere between $1.5M and $2M per for 2 or 3 years would be more than reasonable. It just won't likely be in Ottawa.
GRADE: For a guy that was just expected to play out the string he became a very important piece of the team. His play alone in the second half would have earned the grade, but combined with the lack of real expectation Condra gets an A .
Tomorrow we go back between the pipes...
If you missed them, check out prior Report Cards: