In a surprising turn of events, Ottawa Senators legend Daniel Alfredsson is joining the Toronto Maple Leafs as an associate coach, the team announced on Tuesday.
The Maple Leafs also named former Toronto Marlies bench boss John Gruden and Brad Werenka to the coaching staff as assistants. Mike Van Ryn and Derek Lalonde will not be returning for the 2026-27 season.
“I’m incredibly excited to add Daniel, John and Brad to our coaching staff,” said Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller. “Daniel’s experience, leadership and understanding of the game speak for themselves. John has established himself as one of the top coaches in the American Hockey League and played an instrumental role in leading the Marlies to a Calder Cup championship last season. Brad brings a unique combination of NHL experience, player development and expertise in performance analytics. Together, they’ll be outstanding additions to our team.”
Senators majority owner Michael Andlauer also made a statement following Alfredsson’s decision to join the Leafs.
“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,” the statement said in part.
The 53-year-old Alfredsson, who has been a member of Ottawa’s coaching staff since December of 2023, was a fierce rival of the Maple Leafs during his playing days with the Senators from 1995 to 2013.
Selected by the Sens in the sixth round of the 1994 NHL Draft, Alfredsson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022 and is considered the greatest player in franchise history.
Over 17 seasons and 1,178 games with the Senators, the Swede scored 426 goals and 682 assists for 1,108 points, all franchise records.
Alfredsson, who served as captain from 1999 to 2013, led the Sens to 14 postseason appearances, getting as far as the Stanley Cup Final in 2007 where they lost to the Anaheim Ducks in five games.
Alfredsson played the final season of his NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings in 2013-14.
Gruden, 56, has spent the last three seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Marlies, guiding them to the Calder Cup championship last season. He has also previously served as an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders.
Werenka, 57, most recently served as an assistant with the University of Calgary Dinos Men’s Hockey program from 2022-25.
Historic Rivals
The deal sees Alfredsson link up with Swedish countryman Mats Sundin, a senior advisor for the Maple Leafs, after the two faced off against each other in many testy Battle of Ontario matchups throughout the years.
The Senators were eliminated by the Maple Leafs four times over a five season stretch from 2000 to 2004.
During a playoff game against the Leafs in 2002, Alfredsson nailed fan favourite Darcy Tucker into the boards from behind before netting the game-winner just seconds later.
The non-call sent the Leafs’ bench and their fans into a frenzy as the Senators moved to within one game of their first-ever Eastern Conference Final.
That night added a few degrees of hate to an already hostile rivalry as Alfredsson became public enemy No. 1 in Toronto.
Another memorable moment came during the regular season a few seasons later.
During an early January game against the Nashville Predators in 2004, Sundin mistakenly threw his stick into the stands in frustration after it broke.
The captain was handed a one-game suspension and happened to serve it with the rival Sens in town a few nights later.
During the third period of a 7-1 rout of the Leafs, Alfredsson’s stick broke in similar fashion, and he decided to pretend to throw what was left of it, poking fun at his Swedish countryman.
Alfredsson and Sundin won Olympic gold together for Sweden in 2006.
