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“I think I would have been doing myself a disservice if I didn’t explore all the options. But I listened to everything and — out of respect for both parties — I don’t want to get too far into it. It was just a strange time. We spoke (to the Leafs) a little, but we spoke to a lot of teams. In the end, I ended up here, where I wanted to be. Out of respect for all the parties, I don’t want to air any dirty laundry.”

The reality is it has all worked out just fine for Condon. He explored other options because he had that right, but he never really wanted to leave the Senators because he respected general manager Pierre Dorion and head coach Guy Boucher. Plus he’s got a great working relationship with goalie coach Pierre Groulx and top netminder Craig Anderson.

“I wanted to stay here,” Condon said. “It was tough going through it and it took longer than I thought, but I learned a lot about negotiating. The next time, if there is a next time, I’ll be more prepared. It was just a new experience for me and I’ve never been in that situation as a unrestricted free agent.

“I was in the driver’s seat of where I wanted to turn. I listened to my agent (Michael Wulkan) and he was great through the whole time. His advice was spot on through everything.”

Photo by Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Condon said the interest from other National Hockey League teams was flattering, but he didn’t want to move on because the Senators had been a good fit.

“It was always here. Maybe it took long because I was saying I wanted to stay here,” he said. “I made it clear that I wanted to stay and it ended up working out in the end. When you look at the room, the opportunity and what we did last year with the core of the guys that are here and the opportunity to play a little bit more than maybe normal backups do, it’s something that enticed me. It’s all about opportunity.

“I get to work with Craig again and that’s what I wanted and with (Pierre Groulx). There’s just too many good guys here. Plus, when you’ve been on three teams in one year, you really don’t want to go to a fourth. Everything here fit so well.”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/sungarrioch