Alfredsson back with Sens in player development/coaching role
Published
Long-time Ottawa Senator Daniel Alfredsson is back with the organization in a player development and coaching role, new team president Steve Staios told reporters Friday.
Alfredsson was on the ice at the team's skate Friday morning helping players run through drills. He does not yet have an official title yet but Staios told reporters he would be around "quite a bit."
Staios added that he sensed excitement from Alfredsson when he approached him about the role, saying his "eyes lit up" when they discussed specifics.
Now 50, Alfredsson began his NHL career all the way back in 1995 after the Sens selected him in the sixth round the year before. He would go on to play 17 of his 18 NHL seasons in Ottawa and holds records as the franchise's all-time leader in goals (426), assists (682), points (1,108), game-winning goals (69) and is second to Chris Phillips (1,179) in all-time games played as a Senator.
He also won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1996 and helped lead the Sens to 11 consecutive playoff appearances from 1997 to 2008. Alfredsson played the last season of his career in 2013-14 with the Detroit Red Wings.
The Sens opened their 2023-24 season with a 5-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. They will be back in action at home Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Sens have held trade talks on Joseph, Brannstrom
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion is continuing to try to make a deal to free cap to sign restricted free agent Shane Pinto.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports that Dorion has continued to hold discussions on Mathieu Joseph and also discussed trading defenceman Erik Brannstrom
"The temperature is certainly rising in the city of Ottawa among the fanbase, certainly after the season opening loss to a top team, the Carolina Hurricanes," Dreger said on Insider Trading Thursday. "The Senators played that game without two of their top three centres, but ownership of the Ottawa Senators also appreciates that Pierre Dorion is trying to create cap space. He's trying to move Mathieu Joseph. He has had [conversations] about moving Erik Brannstrom.
"But until he can create that cap space, he can't engage and create the contract required to bring Shane Pinto back into the fold. So for the moment, Shane Pinto remains on the outside looking in, but there might be some good news for the Ottawa Senators as Josh Norris is expected to return to the lineup as early as this weekend."
Dreger reported last month that the Senators were looking into trading Joseph, who scored in the team's opening loss after also enjoying a strong preseason.
“I’m a guy who shows up every day, no matter what,” Joseph said after a two-goal performance in the preseason on Sept. 27. “I didn’t look at what was going on, and I haven’t really heard what they’re saying about our team, it’s really out of my control.
“So I show up to the arena every day, I work as hard as I can, and I try to win for the team whose jersey I’m wearing.”