These should be uncomfortable times in the nation’s capital.
For the first time in his NHL career, Daniel Alfredsson is free to speak with rival teams about the possibility of leaving the Ottawa Senators and sources confirmed that Boston and at least one other suitor inquired about his services after the league’s free agent negotiating period opened on Wednesday.
Sure, virtually no one expects him to leave.
But who can say for sure?
The Senators have known for five days that Alfredsson wanted to return for another NHL season and they still don’t have his signature on a contract. That says an awful lot about the status of negotiations.
Senators general manager Bryan Murray met with his agent J.P. Barry in New York last weekend and the sides chatted a couple times on Tuesday. More talks were expected Wednesday.
Alfredsson’s camp is believed to be seeking $6 million annually and is open to a two-year deal for the 40-year-old winger. That would be a big ticket for a Senators team believed to be operating on a $50-million budget next season — closer to the salary floor than the salary cap.
Of course, Ottawa can still offer the veteran something no one else can: Legacy.
There simply aren’t many players in the modern era who get to spend their entire careers with one franchise while being as beloved as Alfredsson is in Ottawa.
We’re talking about maybe five NHLers in the last two or three decades. Mario Lemieux in Pittsburgh. Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom in Detroit. Marty Brodeur in New Jersey. Joe Sakic in Colorado (although his career began when the team was based in Quebec City).
Notably, not one of those teams is based in a Canadian city, yet another reminder about how rare Alfredsson’s situation is.
We already saw Jarome Iginla consent to a trade out of Calgary earlier this year and we aren’t all that far removed from Toronto electing not to re-sign longtime captain Mats Sundin. After a forgettable half season in Vancouver, the big Swede quietly stepped away from the game and has since admitted that he should just have retired as a Leaf.
Alfredsson still has the chance to do that with the Senators. There has already been plenty of talk about a move directly into Ottawa’s front office once his playing days are done.
However, even for a guy as loyal as Alfredsson, you’d have to think that there is at least a little bit of temptation on the open market.
Ottawa has a good, up-and-coming young team but there is no way to objectively make the case that they have a better shot at winning the Stanley Cup next season than the Bruins. There are also some personal ties between Alfredsson and Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli — a former executive in Ottawa — and a glaring need for another right-winger in Boston.
“(We’ve got) to see and assess how we are going to reconstruct the right side,” Chiarelli told reporters on a conference call Wednesday. “I want to do a sweep of these players that will be available in trades and free agency. I’d like to think that we’re a destination for an older player, old relatively speaking, that wants a chance to win. So I’ve got to canvas that.
“It’s about turning over all the stones and going through the free agent list player by player.”
Alfredsson would almost certainly be right at the top of his list, although Chiarelli declined to comment on his interest in the player.
These must be interesting times for the Alfredsson family, which is currently spending some time back in Sweden.
After Game 4 of a second-round series against Pittsburgh earlier this spring, the Senators captain grabbed the puck at the final buzzer. He later said it was a souvenir for one of his sons. It might also be a memento of his last game on home ice in Ottawa.
While no one around the Sens seems to feel that way, you just never know what might happen the longer he remains unsigned.
It should be noted that Murray sounded confident about completing a deal when he spoke with reporters ahead of the draft last weekend.
“I think he walked out of Ottawa at the end of the year in great shape,” said the Sens GM. “He looked healthy, he was excited about some of our young people on the team.
“Obviously, we’re pleased that he’s made the decision to play again.”
Now it’s up to the franchise to make sure he’s back where he belongs come October.