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Reports began to come out earlier this week regarding the Detroit Red Wing players beginning to commence informal workouts at the Joe Louis Arena this week. One of the players to partake in these workouts was Daniel Alfredsson. Alfredsson has held off on re-signing with the Red Wings all summer long in order to assess his fitness level, as he continually deals with back pain that comes and goes.
After skating daily with the Wings for several consecutive days, Alfredsson appeared to have the back pain flare up once again. As a result, a decision was made to stop skating until he feels better. Based on that development and the quotes below, the writing appears to be on the wall for #11:
"He wants to feel great. He's waiting for his body to weigh in and tell him what the body thinks. I'll talk with his agent again early next week. If we have to wait a little bit, we'll wait a little bit. It's minor, but he doesn't want to push it, doesn't want to overplay it. He made the decision he's going to hold back a little bit." - Ken Holland
The bottom line is Holland would not be opposed to having Alfredsson return given his love for veteran players, even if he has to play a restricted regular season schedule. Given the ample number of forwards Detroit has currently in the fold, that should not be an issue. Alfredsson can still provide offense (49 points in 68 games played last season) and invaluable leadership to this relatively young group. Mike Babcock has stated already this summer that he doesn't want a part-time player, despite his appreciation for Alfredsson's value in the dressing room and on the ice.
“I would love to play, there’s no question, but at the same time you have to listen to your body. I’m hoping that I’ll know within the next week or two weeks.… - Daniel Alfredsson
His heart and mind want to keep playing, but it appears his body has already spoken and told him otherwise. If a few informal sessions alongside teammates has already tweaked his back, what's going to take place during a rigorous 82-game NHL season?
Alfredsson may still attend training camp without a contract to give it one last shot, however given this latest setback, it could be the final nail in the coffin to end Alfredsson's Hall-of-Fame career.
mark.spizzirri@hockeybuzz.com
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