With the arrival of a new owner, the former Senator captain has been welcomed with open arms by the team he once starred for.
With the Senators spending the next week in Sweden, it's only natural they'd be asked about Ottawa's favourite Swedish import, Daniel Alfredsson, their longtime captain and their only Hall of Famer, who recently joined the club in a coaching and player development role.
As you'd expect, there was nothing but praise for Alfie, both for the NHL career that he's had and for the job he's doing with the players now.
"(Alfie) loves the Ottawa Senators," head coach D.J. Smith told the media. "He's been on the ice, working with guys like Tim Stutzle – guys that are in a similar position to him. Ultimately, what you find out about him is how competitive he is. For him to be able to come home and be a part of this, it's going to mean something to him, but I know the guys are going to want to play for him as well."
Since there wouldn't be ample time to call up a player from Belleville, if needed, the Senators brought extra bodies for the trip and Swedish defenceman Jacob Larsson was a natural selection. Larsson, Erik Brannstrom and Anton Forsberg will be the de facto Swedish tour guides for this trip as the Sens enjoy a day off in Stockholm on Tuesday.
Brannstrom was excited Monday to skate with Alfredsson at a practice in their home country.
"(Alfie's) been awesome," Brannstrom said. "He knows hockey better than anyone probably...He gives us small things to think about in the game. He sees the game really well...He's a legend in Ottawa and here in Sweden too, so it's really fun to have him on the trip."
Claude Giroux, Travis Hamonic and Vladimir Tarasenko are the only current Senators old enough to have played against Alfredsson, who retired in 2014. Giroux wonders if Alfie might not have something left in the tank, even at 50.
"Playing against Alfie wasn't very fun," Giroux said. "He was a pretty smart player. You see him at practice. I still think he could probably play. He just thinks the game differently. To have him around the team, it's something that we don't take lightly."
The Sens will play two games in Stockholm, Thursday against Detroit and Saturday versus Minnesota.