Is Daniel Alfredsson An Option To Take Over As Senators Head Coach?

The legendary Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson is finally back in the organization, having taken over an Assistant Coaching role after the purging of head coach DJ Smith and assistant Davis Payne. But is he a candidate to take over as the new head coach for interim bench boss Jacques Martin?

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff gives us his thoughts on the question, and he comes up with a resounding "NO.":

Daniel Alfredsson likely isn't a candidate for the Ottawa Senators job

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— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) December 23, 2023

The last thing you want to do, if you're the Sens, after all this work to get Daniel Alfredsson back in the fold... is to have him come back, he's the coach for 2 and a half years, and you have to fire him and he never comes back. 

I don't think they wanna be in that situation, I personally don't think he wants to be in that situation, so I'd be suprised if he winds up being the guy.

After 17 seasons in Ottawa, Alfredsson left in 2013 over a contract dispute and played his final NHL season in Detroit. Relations with the Senators' all-time leader in games (1,178), goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108) were strained during the Eugene Melnyk years. Alfredsson had recently been estranged from the club until he was brought back into the fold this year by new owner Michael Andlauer. 

There are several strong candidates to take over as permanent new head coach of the Senators, but at this point, Alfredsson doesn't appear to be one of them. 

Photo: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports