Daniel Alfredsson is done being a figurehead in Ottawa. That's the real story behind his jump to the Maple Leafs.
The move has been the talk of the hockey world for days now, and heading into this weekend, we finally got the why.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reported Saturday that Alfredsson knew he would never be fired in Ottawa. And that, according to Garrioch, was part of the problem.
There's no animosity between Alfredsson and the Senators organization. Garrioch was direct about that in his report.
But Alfredsson reportedly didn't want a job with no stakes attached to it. A front office role with zero risk of consequences isn't a challenge. It's a retirement gift with a title on it.
Garrioch framed the Leafs move as an opportunity for Alfredsson to test himself somewhere his legend doesn't guarantee him a permanent seat at the table.
Bruce Garrioch: Re Daniel Alfredsson/Maple Leafs: There is no animosity between Alfredsson and the Senators; he didn't want to be a figurehead, and he knew that he would never be fired [in Ottawa]; This is an opportunity to challenge himself.
Think about that for a second. How many franchise icons walk away from total job security on purpose?
Alfredsson trades comfort for consequences with Leafs move
Ottawa enters the weekend at 44-27-11, sitting ninth overall with 99 points and riding a one-game winning streak. Their last 10 games have them at 6-3-1.
Toronto is a different animal entirely. The Maple Leafs sit 28th overall at 32-36-14, losers of seven straight, with a brutal 2-7-1 mark over their last 10 games.
That's the locker room Alfredsson is stepping into. Not a stable contender. A team that just lost 3-1 to the Senators in their most recent meeting, part of a stretch that's buried Toronto near the bottom of the league.
Jim Hiller remains behind the Toronto bench, trying to steady a group that's cratered down the stretch. Steve Staios stays on as Ottawa's GM, running a program that's now lost one of its most recognizable voices.
Bailing on comfort for chaos isn't the safe move. It's arguably the questionable one, given where Toronto currently sits in the standings.
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But if Alfredsson genuinely wanted to be tested, he picked the right disaster to walk into. Whether Toronto's front office sees him as an asset or an experiment is a different question entirely, and it's one nobody in that building has answered yet.
Did Daniel Alfredsson make the right call leaving the Senators for a struggling Maple Leafs organization?
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