New Maple Leafs associate coach Daniel Alfredsson discusses the process behind his decision to leave Ottawa and join their arch-rival’s coaching staff.
Opening Statement from Daniel Alfredsson on joining the Maple Leafs’ Coaching Staff
Alfredsson: Sorry, I couldn’t be there in person today. I am back home in Sweden.
First of all, I want to thank Michael (Andlauer) and the Ottawa Senators organization for everything they’ve done for the team, the city, myself, and my family. Thank you to Steve (Staios) and the coaching staff as well for giving me a chance in coaching. I’ve caught the coaching bug, which I am very happy about. I’ve learned a ton from you guys. Keep up the good work with what you started there.
Also, to the Ottawa fans: Love you, as always, and thank you. I understand this is an interesting day, but also, it’s an exciting chapter for me as I expand my coaching career. I am really looking forward to joining Jim (Hiller) and his coaching staff in Toronto.
Thank you.
Q&A with Daniel Alfredsson on departing Ottawa for Toronto
What inspired you to join the Leafs? What excites you the most about joining Jim Hiller’s staff?
Alfredsson: In my interview with him, I think it was the philosophy and his values. He has been a coach for a long time. I think I felt that it was someone I could learn a lot from. As we kept talking, I kind of felt this would be a great next step for my coaching career.
What was the process behind arriving at this decision? What role did Mats Sundin play in it? What are your duties going to be?
Alfredsson: Toronto reached out. Steve Staois actually called me and said that Toronto asked to interview me for the head coaching job. I met with John, Mats, and a couple of other people. I obviously didn’t get that job. They came back a few weeks later and asked if I would be interested in another role within the organization.
Once I had my interview with Jim, I felt that this could be a good step and a great challenge for me. In learning from different people and different voices — from all of the coaches I’ve talked to — I felt myself learning a lot from Travis (Green) and a lot of the coaching staff in Ottawa. In expanding that to learn from more people and different voices, you’ll have a bigger repertoire as a coach. [Hiller] really intrigued me with his knowledge and the style he likes to play.
As far as the role, we talked about power play. I think that will be part of it. I think for all of the responsibilities, and exactly where they’re going to fall, we will work together on a lot of things, the whole coaching staff. That will be decided as we get together before camp.
The Leafs have a star-studded roster with Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Gavin McKenna. You oversaw Ottawa’s power play last year. What are your thoughts on Toronto’s power play, and what are you looking forward to about working with some of these guys?
Alfredsson: Jim is obviously a power-play coach as well. That was part of the interview. I think they had some really good times on the power play, and some tough ones as well. They probably lost that confidence a little bit, but they have a lot of the tools to be a good power play and a good offensive team as well. There is a lot of skill, and guys who can shoot the puck. I look forward to working with them to see what we can accomplish.
What lessons from your time running the Senators’ power play did you learn and now hope to apply in Toronto?
Alfredsson: Obviously, I played the power play my whole career. There is no secret recipe. I think you have to put the players in good positions where they can succeed. Give them a plan. I personally like to try to educate them, and when you work with them for a while, they know how to adjust themselves.
If there is one thing I have gotten better with in Ottawa, especially with the help of Mike Yeo and Ben Sexton, it is all the small structure things — faceoffs, edge battles, winning pucks quickly, and the structure on the breakouts. I think I have gotten a lot better about that over the last couple of years. That’s what I hope to continue to build on.
Do you understand the pain that Ottawa fans are feeling in seeing you join the Leafs?
Alfredsson: I totally understand it. There is no question. From talking to friends and other coaches as well, it is different when you are a coach. When I felt this was the career I wanted to pursue as a coach, I knew I had to move at some point. I’d have to earn my way and get experience.
In my dreams, would I have loved to stay and become the head coach of Ottawa? Maybe. But nobody stays as a coach forever in one spot, no matter how popular you are. You have to perform.
For me to get better as a coach, this is a path where I knew I’d have to move at some point. They don’t hand out jobs easily in the NHL. It is a tough job to get. When I had this opportunity, I felt it was the right one for my coaching career, without a question.
With your contract set to expire, would you have wanted to return to Ottawa? Was there an avenue for returning?
Alfredsson: Well, after I finished the season, I took some time, as always, to reflect. I kind of made up my mind that I am not going to come back to Ottawa next year. I was going to try to pursue and get different experiences.
My contract did expire at the end of June. I looked at opportunities inside and outside the NHL for which path I was going to take. This opportunity came up, and here we are today.
You are no stranger to the Toronto-Ottawa rivalry as a player against Mats Sundin’s Leafs. Have you and Mats talked about those times? What kind of relationship have you two maintained in your post-playing days?
Alfredsson: We’ve kept in touch. We don’t live near each other in Sweden, but whenever we can, we try to hook up.
We haven’t talked a lot about the past, to be honest. But obviously, I think it is great that Mats is involved again. I think he has so much to bring — leadership, experience, and his enthusiasm was really obvious in the talks I’ve had with him. You can tell he is really excited about this opportunity to try to do something really good.
Can you describe your relationship with William Nylander? You worked with him at the Olympics. Watching him from afar, how might you be able to help his game reach an even higher level?
Alfredsson: I knew his dad and played with him on the national team a fair bit. I have been friends with him for a long time. I’ve been following William for a long time as well.
He has grown into a very good player. There is no question. He has some unbelievable tools that are hard to teach. He takes his game very seriously and his training very seriously as well. I worked with him at Four Nations for the first time. I saw it firsthand as well.
I am really excited to work with him and the whole team, to be honest. He is a player who is very important to this team.
Has Darcy Tucker reached out to you at all? You two have talked about the famous incident over the years. What did you remember about that particular situation?
Alfredsson: No, we haven’t talked recently at all. But we have talked post-career. I think we recognize that we’re both very competitive people. We respect each other. A lot of people do in the hockey world in general. We all love to have competitive people on our teams. He was definitely one of them.
