On his first day as head coach of the Senators, Travis Green, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the heyday of the rivalry with Ottawa, confirmed he’s exchanged texts with former Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson.
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Two old foes in the Battle of Ontario could be sharing space behind the Ottawa Senators’ bench next season.
On his first day as head coach of the Senators, Travis Green, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the heyday of the rivalry with Ottawa, confirmed he’s exchanged texts with former Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson and they’ll meet in the near future to discuss his role.
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Alfredsson finished last season as an assistant to interim coach Jacques Martin, and from listening to Green if Alfie wants to stay in that role the door is wide open for a return.
“When you’re talking about Daniel Alfredsson, you’re really talking about a legend, a hall of fame player, and when you think about the Senators you’re going to think about him,” Green said Wednesday. “We texted back and forth yesterday.
“I really look forward to speaking with Daniel Alfredsson to get his thoughts and ideas, where he wants to go, if he wants to be a coach full-time. I’m open to everything that he wants to do. I really look forward to sitting down with him, talking hockey and coaching.
“When I was in Vancouver, I had Henrik and Daniel (Sedin) in their last year and then they retired. Now, he’s been out a while, but players like that mean something to the organization and I look forward to meeting with him.”
Green will work with Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, on putting his staff in place. Winnipeg assistant Nolan Baumgartner and Toronto Marlies coach John Gruden will likely both be candidates, but it’s hard to say what route Green will take.
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“I’m going to be very thorough and work with Steve to put the right staff together for our group,” said Green. “We’ll talk to the people that have been here, first and foremost, but I want to make sure we do a thorough job to get the perfect staff around me and for our group.”
THE RIGHT FIT
Owner Michael Andlauer was on hand for Wednesday’s news conference to introduce the new coach and is confident that Green will be the right fit for this group.
Andlauer wasn’t an everyday participant in the search for a head coach, but did assist Staios and senior vice-president Dave Poulin by spending time with the six candidates for the job.
“Travis fits the mould of culture we’re trying to create here,” Andlauer said. “I keep reiterating that we’re in the people business. The ones that are going to care more and work harder in this competitive landscape are going to be winners. He brings a lot of experience.
“It was Steve’s choice, and Steve hired him, and I was involved in the interview process more to support Steve because he asked me to and I could give him my perspective. It’s an interesting perspective to have a coach be responsible for employees he didn’t hire. So to me, it’s important the GM and coach are aligned, and they work together to develop these players to be the best they can be.”
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Andlauer said it was important to make a decision because of the competition in the marketplace for head coaches right now.
“The timing was important and we are where are today because of that,” Andlauer said.
KEEPING THE PICK
The Senators will keep the No. 7 overall selection in the June draft.
Staios told Postmedia the club won’t forfeit its first-round selection this year to pay the penalty for the punishment they received from the NHL for the botched deal with the Vegas Golden Knights for winger Evgenii Dadonov.
The Senators were docked the first-round pick in an upcoming draft as a result of former general manager Pierre Dorion giving the Knights the wrong information about the existence of Dadonov’s 10-team no-move clause when he was dealt to Vegas in July 2021.
The club will begin its amateur scouting meetings Tuesday and Staios has been watching a lot of the top prospects along with senior vice-president Dave Poulin to get a first-hand look at players. Staios just returned from the 2024 IIHF under-18 world championship in Finland.
“We’re going to get a good player at No. 7,” Staios said.
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The Senators will either have to give up a first-round pick in 2025 or 2026, but they are hopeful by that point they’re coming off a playoff berth.
UNDER THE KNIFE
As Postmedia reported last week, Senators alternate captain Thomas Chabot has had surgery to repair a wrist injury that has been bothering him for nearly two years.
Staios said the recovery time from the surgery is about two months and Chabot will be ready for training camp in September.
“He’s doing well,” said Staios, who added Chabot had tendon damage.
He suited up for only 51 games this season, but still played a key role with nine goals and 30 points while averaging 23 minutes of ice time per game.
Chabot missed 10 games with a hand injury he suffered Oct. 28 and then was out another month when he suffered a leg injury only two games after returning Dec. 5. That kept him out another 10 games and he was placed on long-term injury reserve.
On March 7, Chabot left the ice in Anaheim and missed five games. Then, Chabot returned for six games and missed another four because the ailment creeped up again. He opted to play in the club’s final six games because he wanted to see some action.
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