Ottawa Senators are surging, but how long can Daniel Alfredsson wait for the Stanley Cup? –NHL Special
Ottawa Senators are finally back in the playoffs but with team captain, Daniel Alfredsson, closing in on his 40th birthday, there is not much time left for the player to continue fighting for the Stanley Cup if they fail to make any significant
progress this time around.
Alfredsson is a hero for the Canadian city of Ottawa and his comeback has ultimately been the major reason for the surging Senators team after a failed 2010-2011 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.
As the captain ages, there is speculation as to how long he will be able to continue fighting with the team if they do not manage to get a chance at winning the cup during the 2012 NHL playoffs. According to some, this might be his last playoff season in
order to stay healthy due to a serious back surgery that had him out the entire last hockey year.
"I think I look at it as it could be my last playoffs and I'm going to treat it as such, too," Alfredsson said. "Who knows if I'm playing next year (or) if we'll get back to the playoffs -- you just want to make sure you enjoy it and make the most of it."
At the moment, Alfredsson is certainly pumped and is excited going into the playoffs after how well the team played during the regular season.
"Like everybody else, I didn't maybe think, 'Maybe we could be close,' but after the way we played after the first six or seven games and we really got going, it really built a lot of confidence in the team," Alfredsson said. "It feels great to be back in
the playoffs. It's really gratifying for everybody, but especially us our older guys."
Alfredsson was one of the team leaders when it came to scoring points as he recorded 59 (27 goals, 32 assists) in 75 games played with a plus-minus rating of 16. His leadership on the team will be crucial for the Ottawa playoff push and Senators will definitely
be needing him next year well.
Ultimately, it will depend on how much progress Alfredsson and the Senators will make during the playoffs that would be able to determine whether the captain intends on staying with the team or not.
Jason Spezza, Ottawa’s forward and assistant captain, has also had a spectacular season by leading the team with 84 points (34 goals, 50 assists) in 80 games played to be the most consistent player for the club. The Alfredsson-Spezza duo has always worked
miracles for the Senators and both will need to continue with the same momentum heading into game-one of the Eastern Conference playoffs against a very strong New York Rangers team.
At one point in the regular season, Ottawa ranked as high as fifth and sixth but eventually fell off into the eighth spot with 92 points in a tie with Washington Capitals. Looking how they managed to down New York Rangers three out of four times during the
hockey year, it could be an exciting series to follow as Senators have the obvious advantage heading into the playoff quarterfinals.
Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza will be the two players to watch for Ottawa which will eventually lead Senators past Rangers since the entering series between the two will certainly be one of those which are decided by offensive capability.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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