The NHL Has Its New Bromance, and Fans of the Leafs and Senators are Adjusting

To say the hockey world was surprised on Tuesday would be an understatement. One of the more hated rivals of the Toronto Maple Leafs supplied the team with a new associate coach when Daniel Alfredsson jumped ship, leaving a team he captained for years to join the team he battled in five playoff series between 2000 and 2005 — and the Maple Leafs won every single one.

So when the Maple Leafs announced this week that Alfredsson was joining Jim Hiller’s staff as associate coach, the reaction was somewhere between disbelief and déjà vu. Ottawa’s all-time leading scorer, a Hockey Hall of Famer, the face of the franchise for nearly two decades — now working for the enemy.

But the real story isn’t really about Alfredsson leaving Ottawa. It’s about who was waiting for him in Toronto.

The Reunion Nobody Saw Coming

Mats Sundin — Alfredsson’s on-ice rival for years and, before that, one of the players he battled hardest during those playoff wars — is now the Maple Leafs’ senior executive advisor of hockey operations. Sundin moved his family to Toronto for the job, and by most accounts, he wasn’t shy about wanting Alfredsson to join him.

It might feel strange, but it makes sense that Sundin would want a respected friend on his side rather than as an opponent. Off the ice, they are close. When Alfredsson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022, it was Sundin who handed him his plaque. Alfredsson thanked him in his speech, calling him a mentor.

While Alfredsson interviewed with Hiller, Sundin was a huge factor.

Bruce Garrioch reports that Alfredsson’s contract with the Senators was up on June 30. “He had planned to move on. Wanted a new challenge.” That it took him to Toronto is where Senators fans feel betrayed. He got permission to speak with the Leafs to discuss the head coaching job, and the Senators didn’t stand in his way.

A Budding Bromance — Good for Toronto, or Bad for the Rivalry?

Let’s be clear, however. As smart as it might be for the Leafs to bring in someone like Alfredsson, this is not just a business decision. This is Toronto making Sundin comfortable. This is also the Maple Leafs hiring a rival, just to take another little poke at the Senators. This is kicking Ottawa while they’re already down.

Sundin and Alfredsson represent two of the most successful captains and competitors of their generation, and now the Leafs get both of their hockey minds in the same room. If their old rivalry made each of them sharper as players, there’s an argument that the same competitive chemistry — now aimed at building a winning roster — could be genuinely valuable. Alfredsson has coaching experience. This is not just a nostalgia hire.

It also feels personal. Alfredsson vs. Sundin. Ottawa vs. Toronto. Small-market scrappiness vs. Original Six swagger. When the faces of that rivalry end up shoulder to shoulder in the same war room, it can start to feel more like a corporate merger. It’s the executive equivalent of a super team.

Senators fans have already voiced some of that discomfort — even owner Michael Andlauer, in his statement on the move, said he wished Alfredsson weren’t joining a rival, even as he wished him well. Really, you know this stings. The Senators are crushed. Fans are hurting. All the while, Alfredsson and Sundin are toasting each other on a job well done.

Sports rivalries are built on the idea that the two sides genuinely dislike each other, or at least want to beat each other more than anyone else. This one just got a lot more interesting. The subplot worth watching all season is whether the Sundin-Alfredsson pairing ends up being a quiet strategic advantage for Toronto, or whether wild theories that Alfredsson is just there to sabotage the Leafs from within have any merit.

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Oilers, Maple Leafs & Senators Angry