Saturday marked a tough anniversary for Ottawa hockey fans. On July 5, 2013, longtime captain and franchise icon Daniel Alfredsson left the only NHL team he’d ever known, signing with the rival Detroit Red Wings and stunning local fans, even those who barely follow hockey.

Alfredsson was 40 years old at the time and had spent his entire 17-year career with the Senators, serving as captain for 14 of those years. Though his contract had expired, he felt like he had at least one more season left in him.

With notoriously frugal owner Eugene Melnyk quietly pulling strings in the background, Ottawa wanted Alfredsson to take a below-market deal again after he had done that several times previously. That was the reason Alfredsson took his talents to Detroit, where he signed a one-year deal worth $5.5 million.

When asked about the signing at the time, Alfredsson took the high road, leaving contract talks out of it. But in the coming weeks, Alfie and his agent would fully address their disappointment with how Ottawa handled his compensation.

That year, the Red Wings had nine other Swedes in the lineup, including their top five scorers. Alfredsson led the way, tied for the club lead with Niklas Kronwall, but they lost to the Boston Bruins in five games in round one of the playoffs.

And that's how Alfredsson closed out his Hall of Fame career – not as an Ottawa Senator, but as a Detroit Red Wing.

Even by Melnyk’s standards, alienating Alfredsson was a short-sighted move. Whatever money he might have saved by underpaying the franchise’s most beloved player was quickly swept away by the tidal wave of bad publicity, not to mention the $5.1 million that immediately went to Bobby Ryan, his ad hoc replacement.

In full damage control mode, the Senators acquired Ryan from Anaheim in exchange for Jakob Silfverberg, former first-round pick Stefan Noesen, and their upcoming first-rounder, which the Ducks used on Nick Ritchie. The next year, now feeling the pressure of losing Ryan – their Alfie replacement – along with all the assets they gave up to get him, they signed Ryan a seven-year, $50.75 million extension, a wild overpayment that eventually led to a buyout.

If you had to identify the moment when Ottawa fans collectively began to get upset with Melnyk as owner, his botching of Alfie's final contract in 2013 would be a fine candidate. It was far from a best-in-class moment.

Alfredsson returned in December 2014, signing a one-day contract so he could officially retire as a Senator. He suited up for the pre-game warm-up, looked as good as ever, then took the ceremonial face-off. He also joined the front office as a senior advisor, working alongside GM Bryan Murray.

In 2016-17, the fences seemed to be mending. The team retired Alfredsson’s number 11 jersey that season, and the Senators came within a goal of the Stanley Cup Final. But just weeks after the season, Alfredsson stepped away from the organization again for undisclosed reasons. 

In the coming years, Alfredsson began to slowly start making appearances, being around the team, and skating with some of the injured players. But it wasn't until Michael Andlauer bought the team in 2023 that the Sens legend rejoined the team in a full-time capacity. One of Andlauer's first orders of business was to hire Alfredsson in a player development and coaching role.

When head coach DJ Smith was fired, Alfredsson joined Jacques Martin as a full-time assistant coach in the middle of the 2023-24 season, a role he kept this season when Travis Green was hired in May of 2024.

Twelve years later, it's fantastic to see Alfie back where he belongs, and that's gone a long way to healing Ottawa's hockey wound from July 5th, 2013.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa

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