Number 1 – 2017 fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh for Mike Condon
The sole reason that this trade makes this list and comes in at number one is because of what happened after this trade. When Craig Anderson had to leave the team to be with his wife as she battled cancer, the team was forced to turn to Andrew Hammond.
When Hammond went down to injury, Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators were forced to act. They brought in Mike Condon, who went on to play 40 games for the club that season. Condon started 27 games in a row for the Ottawa Senators and was considered by many to be the one who saved the team’s season.
I am absolutely positive that the Ottawa Senators do not make the playoffs that season if it wasn’t for the acquisition of Mike Condon. The fact that the team didn’t have to turn to Chris Driedger (served as Condon’s backup for most of the season) made sure that they would remain competitive on most nights.
Essentially, at the cost of a fifth-round pick, the Ottawa Senators managed to make the playoffs in 2016. That 2016 playoff run was one of the most memorable moments in my life as an Ottawa Senators fan.
That is the reason this trade makes the countdown and comes in at number one. If this trade does not happen the Ottawa Senators don’t make the playoffs that season. The Ottawa Senators don’t beat the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers in six games in the first and second rounds of the playoffs. The Ottawa Senators do not make it to double overtime of game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Ottawa Senators fans, what do you think of the countdown? Which trades would you not include? Which other trades would you include? Are there trades you would rank differently? Let us know in the comment section below!