Daniel Alfredsson will not be at Detroit Red Wings training camp when it opens later this week, but don’t rule out him playing for the team this season. Alfredsson hasn’t officially signed a contract with Detroit yet, but was preparing for training camp when he suffered an injury to his back two weeks ago, and has not skated in the last ten days.
”Daniel had a strong summer training and was feeling great while skating here but suffered a setback on his fifth day of high intensity on ice sessions,” Alfredsson’s agent J.P. Barry told TSN. “It’s the same back issue he has been dealing with for a few years. He needs some time to let things settle and then determine whether his back is up to the rigors of another full season. He will be patient for now before making any decisions.”
“The setback is a little bigger than Alfie thought,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told the Detroit Free Press on Monday. “I know he still wants to give himself every opportunity to see if his body will allow him to play. We’re going to be patient — give him the time to make his decision. At this point, I don’t expect him to be coming to camp.”
“I think I owe him the class and dignity to allow him to get to a point where we sit down and make a decision about his future,” Holland added. “Whether we sign him to a contract or not will be based on feedback from his body. Before we even get there, we have to see if Alfie’s body is going to allow him to play.
The 41-year old Alfredsson, had previously made it clear that if he did not receive an offer from general manager Ken Holland, he would retire from the National Hockey League. Regardless of whether he will play this season or retire, Alfredsson and his family plan on moving to Detroit to live there. Much to the dismay of Ottawa Senators fans, Captain Alfie won’t be returning to Canada’s capital to finish off his career. It’s either Detroit or Bust. Now he will wait to see how his back responds.
Having played 1,246 career National Hockey League games, Alfredsson has yet to hoist the Stanley Cup. On a Detroit Red Wings team loaded with skill, talent and a shot of youth, Alfredsson will hope to add more depth and leadership to an already stable group on offense.
In 18 seasons — 17 of those with the Ottawa Senators — Alfredsson has accumulated 444 career goals while notching 713 assists. In 124 playoff games, the Swedish Superstar has 51 goals and 50 assists to his name. In International play, Alfie has a gold medal, three silver and three bronze, including a gold and silver medal in Olympic hockey, inside his trophy case.
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