At the time of writing, Daniel Alfredsson finds himself behind the bench of the Ottawa Senators in the role of assistant to 71-year-old veteran coach Jacques Martin.
Many question whether the former Sens captain is up to the task of guiding the team through Martin’s interim. Alffy is beloved in Ottawa, where he was the team’s captain for nearly 13 seasons.
And therein lies the problem. As journalist Ian Mendes of The Athletic wisely pointed out, Alfredsson would be exposing himself to more criticism by becoming head coach of “his” team.
Yes, he can take some heat, but let’s stress again “he would be exposing himself to criticism in a market where he is universally loved”. Is he prepared to sacrifice this facet to take the reins of a team seeking an identity?
Since the start of the 2023-24 calendar, the Ottawa Senators have a record of 28 wins in 68 games, for a total of 60 points, good for 9th place in Wild Card. Add to this the fact that the Sens have suffered three consecutive defeats and have won just three of their last ten games.
This was a team coming of age, and with Claude Giroux in the lineup, fans were expecting a playoff battle, which is not the case at all!
In closing, is the Sens’ great (former) number 11, Daniel Alfredsson, ready to sacrifice such a glittering career with the Senators (1178 games, 426 goals and 1108 points) to lead a team heading for the Titanic iceberg?
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