To the surprise of almost nobody, Daniel Alfredsson has decided to return for one more season. Being the team`s franchise player and long serving captain of a currently developping team, this is absolutely fantastic news.
Despite his drop in offensive production from last season (0.79 PPG to 0.55), Alfie is still a key contributor to his team`s success. Among Sens forwards, he was second in 5-on-5 ice-time, first in 5-on-4 ice time, and 4th in 4-on-5 ice time, and had great possession numbers at even strength. His drop in production is most likely due to the amount of injuries the team had, and a big regression in his shooting percentage after shooting above his career average last season.
With him returning, the Sens will keep their deep forward group from the playoffs of:
Michalek-Spezza-Silfverberg
Conacher-Turris-Alfredsson
Greening-Pageau-Condra
Zibanejad-Smith-Neil
With a healthy lineup, and maybe with the aquisition of another top-4 defenseman, the Sens may have an outside shot at winning the cup in what might be Alfredsson`s final season.
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