Senators legend Daniel Alfredsson joins Maple Leafs coaching staff

Former Ottawa captain and assistant coach has joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant on Jim Hiller's staff.

Published Jul 07, 2026  •  Last updated 2 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Former Ottawa Senator captain and assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson during a practice session in 2024. Tony Caldwell/Postmedia Network

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The very notion of any high-profile figure changing sides in the Battle of Ontario is incredulous, let alone Daniel Alfredsson.

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But the player who got booed every time he touched the puck in Toronto after on-ice incidents with Darcy Tucker and Mats Sundin is joining Toronto as associate coach. Sundin, now the Leafs’ senior executive assistant, very likely helped engineer his Swedish countryman’s exit after Alfredsson’s 30-plus years with the Ottawa Senators, back to the 1994 draft.

It was part of a major re-shaping of assistants under new head coach Jim Hiller. While Alfredsson leaves his post as assistant in Ottawa after three seasons, John Gruden and Brad Werenka have been named assistant with the Leafs.

Mike Van Ryn and Derek Lalonde will not be returning as assistant coaches next season.

“I’m incredibly excited to add Daniel, John and Brad to our coaching staff,” Hiller said in a release. “Daniel’s experience, leadership and understanding of the game speak for themselves.

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“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.”

What is Alfie’s relationship to the Leafs?

Alfredsson, 53, has been a long-time friend of Sundin, both Olympic champions in 2006, despite their on-ice runs in during four bitter playoff series between the Leafs and Sens. Sundin was the first European captain on an NHL team, just ahead of Alfredsson’s appointment in Ottawa.

During the ’02 playoffs Alfredsson put a shoulder into Leaf winger Tucker from behind, leaving him prone on the ice while Juha Ylonen grabbed the puck and centred to an uncovered Alfie for a goal. That enabled Ottawa’s 4-2 win and 3-2 series lead, though Toronto rebounded to take the set in seven. 

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Two years later, in a game Sundin missed, suspended for throwing the shaft of his broken stick into the crowd at the Air Canada Centre when it snapped on a one-timer, Alfredsson’s twig also shattered and he fake-threw it, to further enrage the Toronto bench and fans. Prior to coaching, Gothenburg native Alfredsson appeared in 1,246 regular-season games with Ottawa and Detroit, with 1,157 points (444 goals, 713 assists).

A six-time NHL all-star, Alfredsson received the Calder Trophy in 1996 with 61 points, won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2012 for leadership and humanitarian contributions an the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2013. He was an NHL second all-star team member in ’05-06 and, like Sundin, is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Gruden, 56, joins the Leafs after spending the past three seasons with the Marlies. Prior to that, he served as an assistant with the Boston Bruins during the 2022-23 season after four seasons with the New York Islanders, including time with Hiller under Barry Trotz. Before returning to the professional ranks, Gruden guided the Hamilton Bulldogs to the 2018 OHL title.

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Werenka, 57, joins the Leafs having most recently served as an assistant coach for the University of Calgary Dinos Men’s Hockey program from 2022-25. During his time there, he helped them to a Canada West Men’s Hockey Championship in 2023. In addition to coaching at the USPORTS level, Werenka is a co-founder of TruPerformance, which specializes in sports performance data.

As a player, the Two Hills, Alta., native played 320 NHL games between Edmonton, Quebec, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Calgary, recording 80 points.

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