Daniel Alfredsson’s decision to join the Toronto Maple Leafs has landed like a gut punch in Ottawa, and Paul Bissonnette made it clear he understands why.
Toronto hired Alfredsson as associate coach on July 7, bringing him in after three seasons behind the Senators’ bench. For Bissonnette, the timing only sharpened the sting for Ottawa fans, especially with captain Brady Tkachuk having left the organization shortly before.
On the Spittin Chiclets podcast, Bissonnette laid out just how rough the optics are for Senators supporters. He said, “It’s hard to dump on somebody when they’re down. But my God, you’ve got two to three guys, if not, like you (Whitney) said, the top guy in the Ring of Honour, other than maybe Chris Neil.”
He followed that with an even blunter read on the move: “He just jumped ship and goes to your arch-nemesis. I don’t know.
This is tough. This is the low of the low for the Ottawa Senators.”
Alfredsson’s place in Ottawa history is beyond dispute. He spent 17 seasons with the Senators and still sits atop the franchise record book in goals, assists and points, piling up 426 goals, 682 assists and 1,108 points in 1,246 NHL games.
His No. 11 was retired in 2016, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022. Before taking the Toronto job, he also served as an assistant coach for Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Ryan Whitney said the move caught him off guard too. “Daniel Alfredsson, I would say the most popular, biggest legend in the history of the Ottawa Senators, is now working for the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
Whitney then compared it to another famous rivalry scenario. “It would be P.K.
Subban going to work for the Bruins. If he’d been working for Montreal.”
Ottawa owner Michael Andlauer, though, publicly backed Alfredsson despite the obvious rivalry twist. He said, “While I wish he wasn’t joining an arch rival, Alfie is forever an Ottawa Senator and the door will always be open for his return. He has done so much for our organization and community, and he has my full respect.”
The coaching move also fits Alfredsson’s broader push in that direction. Toronto gives him another path under new coach Jim Hiller, and longtime friend Mats Sundin is also part of the organization.
Still, for Senators fans, the image of their most beloved player in Maple Leafs colors is going to be a hard one to shake.
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