On Friday, Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. He will miss the next two weeks of the NHL season.
According to the team, a bone chip will be removed from his knee, which he injured during last Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Dany Heatley will be the Captain for Ottawa while Alfredsson is sitting out. Jarkko Ruutu will take Alfredsson’s spot on the top line.
Senators head coach Craig Hartsburg believes that the absence of Alfredsson will allow others to step up their game. Hartsburg said, “Certainly we’re going to miss Alfie, he’s out of our lineup, we’re obviously a better team when he’s in there, but it’s a great opportunity for us to prove that we’re different this year.
“This is a group that wants to take great pride in being a team and doing whatever it takes. It’s an opportunity for some people to step up, to do more. We don’t need to change our plan, we’re not going to change anything, but this is a good challenge for us, and it’s a great test right off the start to see how we react to it.”
The 35-year old captain scored 40 goals and 49 assists in 70 games last season with Ottawa. In the twelve games that Alfredsson did miss, the Senators only won three games, making it clear he is an important part of this team.
