On this day in 2013, Daniel Alfredsson signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings, ending 17 seasons as the face of the Ottawa Senators franchise and setting up what would become the final chapter of a Hall of Fame career.
The deal carried a $5.5 million cap hit, built around a $3.5 million base salary with performance bonuses, and it stunned a league that largely expected the longtime Ottawa captain to either re-sign with the Senators or retire outright.
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Alfredsson was 40 years old at the time of the signing, and his decision to leave the only organization he had ever known came down to a chance to finally win the Stanley Cup.
He had spent 18 years in Ottawa without ever hoisting the trophy, including a run to the 2007 Final that ended in a loss to the Anaheim Ducks, and he made clear that the pursuit of a championship. Alfredsson served as the Red Wings’ assistant captain in 2013-14 and put together a respectable final season, recording 18 goals and 31 assists for 49 points in 68 games.
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At 41 years old, he was still productive enough to be one of Detroit’s most important forwards in a season that saw the Red Wings finish fourth in the Atlantic Division before falling to the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. Back issues kept him from training camp the following season, and rather than push through another year, Alfredsson announced his retirement in November 2014.
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A month later, he signed a ceremonial one-day contract with Ottawa so he could officially retire as a Senator, taking part in warmups and the ceremonial faceoff in his final appearance at what was then Canadian Tire Centre.
The situation echoes, in some ways, what the Red Wings find themselves navigating now with Patrick Kane, another future Hall of Famer brought in during the twilight of his career to add scoring punch and leadership to a team trying to climb back into true contention.
Alfredsson won the Calder Trophy in 1996, was named Ottawa’s captain in 1999 and held that role until his departure in 2013, won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, and took home the Mark Messier Leadership Award shortly before he left for Detroit.
By the time he left Ottawa, he held the franchise records for games played, goals, assists and points, finishing his time with the Senators having played 1,178 games and totaling 426 goals, 682 assists and 1,108 points, numbers that still stand as franchise benchmarks today.
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