Daniel Alfredsson just got hired as an associate coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as announced on Tuesday, July 7. The longtime Ottawa Senators captain now joins the Toronto Maple Leafs' office for the first time in his career as part of head coach Jim Hiller's staff.

Alfredsson spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach to the Senators before he took on a role after working in Ottawa's player development department. He was also an assistant for Sweden's men's team at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Hiller took over as Toronto's head coach on June 17 after Craig Berube's exit, saying his main priority is to strengthen the roster. The new head coach is confident about the changes in the staff roster.

"I'm incredibly excited to add Daniel, John, and Brad to our coaching staff," he said. "Daniel's experience, leadership, and understanding of the game speak for themselves."

The Senators' owner, Michael Andlauer, got Alfredsson back to Ottawa as an assistant coach in December 2023. Michael also talked about Alfredsson’s exit in a statement, saying he wished Alfredsson hadn’t joined a rival team, but that they would always be open to his return.

Hiller was also talking about John Gruden and Brad Werenka, who joined the Maple Leafs as assistant coaches the same day as Alfredsson. Gruden has a strong reputation as one of the top coaches in the AHL after leading the Marlies team to a Calder Cup title. 

Meanwhile, Alfredsson arrives in Toronto with an impressive résumé.

A legendary player in Ottawa

Before even becoming a coach, Alfredsson was one of the most popular captains in NHL history.

According to NHL.com, he was drafted 133rd overall by Ottawa in 1994. He even won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1995-96 and was named Senators captain in 1999, which he held on to for 14 seasons.

In all the 17 seasons he spent in Ottawa, Alfredsson held a total of 426 goals, 682 assists, and 1,108 points across 1,178 games. But his best season was in 2005-06, when he scored 43 goals and 103 points. He also scored the first shootout goal in NHL history. He then became the 75th player to reach 1,000 career points in 2010.

As a captain, Alfredsson even led Ottawa to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final. He tallied 14 goals and 22 points across 20 playoff games before losing to Anaheim. 

The 53-year-old shares a long history with the Maple Leafs' senior executive adviser, Mats Sundin. They spent years together on Sweden's national team and won Olympic gold in 2006.

What do you think of Alfredsson's addition to Toronto? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar