As the Detroit Red Wings prepare to embark on the 2014-15 campaign with a 24th consecutive season with a playoff berth in their sites, restricted free agent Daniel Alfredsson continues to mull his future with the franchise amid fear his back issues may force him to retire.
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Alfredsson said he isn't able to commit to a return for his second season in Detroit amid concerns over his back.
"If I would start this season as I did last year I would have signed already," Alfredsson told the Red Wings website.
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Alfredsson missed 14 games due to injury last season, but still managed to lead all Detroit forwards with 49 points.
"I had some issues with my back throughout the year, but nothing serious until the end when I started getting some tingling in the nerve down the right leg," Alfredsson said. "That's what worries me more than anything."
Alfredsson, who spent most of his career in Ottawa where he holds several Senators team records, said that he will hope to determine within the next two weeks whether or not he'll return as he has been practicing with some of the Red Wings this week.
"Every day it's been progressing good," he said. "As we push more and more it's going to be more telling. I had to back off a couple of times this summer in terms of workouts and whatnot. As of now it feels OK."
Alfredsson will turn 42 on Dec. 11 and he had surgery on his back three years ago, but it's continued to be a problem for him after his first season with the Red Wings in 2013-14.
"It's the nerve that goes from L5 (disc) and shoots down side of the right leg and calf," Alfredsson said. "I haven't experienced a lot of pain with it. It's been more with numbness and losing strength in the right leg, which is why you need to put the repetition in to make sure you hold up."
The Red Wings don't want to offer Alfredsson a contract until they know that he can play a full season with the team.
"We don't want a part-time player, we want a full-time player, so guy's got to be healthy, he's got to be able to skate," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock told NHL.com. "Alfie led our team in scoring last year ... that's how good a man he is and that's how talented he is."
The Red Wings open training camp on Sept. 18 and their preseason slate begins with a Sept. 22 visit to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Detroit's regular season kicks off Oct. 9 when it hosts the Boston Bruins.
General manager Ken Holland is hopeful to find out Alfredsson's status within the next couple of weeks and is being patient.
"You have to let the story play itself out," Holland told The Detroit News. "He wants to play, he wants to be fair to the Detroit Red Wings, and he wants to test himself every day and the test started this week.
Despite his injuries, Alfredsson was productive in his first season in a Red Wings sweater, not only tying for the team lead with 49 points, but also ranking third on the team in goals (18) and assists (31). Detroit clinched a wild-card spot and finished with a 39-28-15 (93 points) record and made the playoffs for the 23rd straight year.
Alfredsson was limited to just three games in the postseason and failed to register a point as the Red Wings lost to the Bruins in five games in the opening round in their first season in the Eastern Conference.
Alfredsson will likely either choose to return or retire in the next couple of weeks. The veteran has played in 1,178 games in his career registering 426 goals and 682 assists for 1,108 points.
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