Following a Game 5 elimination at the hands of the Boston Bruins in the first round of this year's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Detroit Red Wings have several questions heading into the offseason including whether or not veteran Daniel Alfredsson will return next season.
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After the team was eliminated at the TD Garden in Boston on Saturday, Alfredsson said he'd talk with his family before deciding whether or not to opt to play again. With the chance of Saturday's game being his final contest in the NHL, Alfredsson said if he were to come back he'd like to remain a Red Wing.
"At the moment, if I come back, that's the likely scenario," Alfredsson said about returning to Detroit via CBC Sports.
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Alfredsson faced the same questions last season after the Ottawa Senators lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games during the second round. Alfredsson said he couldn't see leaving Ottawa but then ended up signing a one-year deal as an unrestricted free agent with the Red Wings.
If one thing is for certain, Alfredsson won't rush his decision as he turns 42 on Dec. 11 and is once again an unrestricted free agent.
"It's been a lot of new impressions for me and my family," Alfredsson told CBC Sports. "Overall, we've had a challenging year, but a fun year. We all learned a lot. I'm sure it will once I start the process of evaluating myself and everything with the family. As a family we've had a fabulous time in Detroit. Everybody likes it. That's check one, I guess. Once I start that process, probably in a few weeks, that's probably going to be a factor. Looks like they have a bright future going forward."
While Alfredsson enjoyed his season in Detroit where he put up 49 points in 68 games off of 18 goals and 31 assists, he missed 14 regular-season games and Games 3 and 4 in the playoffs with back issues.
"That's a discussion for a later time, but health is a big part of every veteran player," Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said via CBC Sports. "Can he be healthy enough to play and help your team? There's no question about ability, it's about health. Alfie was injured a lot of the year so he didn't practice a lot. So anytime you have back pain shooting down your legs, it obviously affects the way you play, so I don't know what his situation is."
Alfredsson also failed to get many days off down the stretch to preserve his health because Detroit was entrenched in a battle for playoff positioning, eventually notching the final wild-card spot to ensure a 23rd consecutive trip to the postseason.
Through 18 years in the NHL --17 with Ottawa -- Alfredsson has appeared in 1,178 games while notching 426 goals and 682 assists for 1,108 points.
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