The Ottawa Senators' Hall of Famer and assistant coach spoke to the media after practice Thursday as the Senators get ready for a visit from the St. Louis Blues.
With interim head coach Jacques Martin away due to an appointment, Daniel Alfredsson, the face of the Ottawa Senators' franchise, handled Martin's media availability on Thursday.
Alfredsson was earnest, open, and thoughtful, discussing everything from his future as a coach to the direction of the team.
Alfredsson became the assistant coach in Ottawa after the dismissal of DJ Smith in December. He was blunt about whether he’s thought about continuing as a coach after this season.
“To be honest, I haven’t even thought about it,” Alfredsson said.
But when asked if he was catching the coaching bug, he had to admit that he was enjoying his time as a coach and that it's opened up his perspective on things. Alfredsson said there's been a “steep learning curve,” and has found it challenging putting together video sessions for players without dragging things out too much.
Regardless of whether Alfredsson is coaching the team or not next season, he says he doesn’t know who would be the perfect coach for the Senators moving forward, but he knows what a good coach can do.
"You want a winning coach. I guess that's the best answer," Alfredsson said.
“I think the biggest thing for any good team is structure. I think you've got to be good defensively.”
The Senators sit 28th in the league in goals against. To improve, it is clear they will need to shore up their play in their own zone.
Alfredsson also opened up about his conversations this season with Tim Stutzle, one of the present day faces of the franchise.
“He hasn't scored at the same pace this year and you question yourself, your confidence, and your abilities,” Alfredsson said. “I think the biggest thing for any player in that position is you've got to put the work in. I think he's worked really hard in practice and in games. And so the discussion is you gotta go out there if you’re not scoring and do it some other way.”
When looking at the bigger picture of this Senators team, Alfredsson believes that the Senators confidence is not where it can be. He pointed again to structure as the main reason for their downfall.
“I think that the biggest thing for us is being on the right side of the puck,” Alfredsson said. “We’ve given away too many easy goals, easy chances at crucial times in games. So, if we can quickly clean that up. I think we’ll be way better off.”