NHL team's rough offseason gets worse as franchise legend leaves to coach for arch-rival

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has FINALLY broken her silence after her on-court clash with Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas.

More than one NHL team has had a rough offseason so far, and the Ottawa Senators are among them.

The team was forced to deal captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers (keeping him in the Atlantic Division, worse yet) when it became crystal clear that he had no intention of re-signing long-term.

Sure, that stings for the fans — but at least they got 40% off of team merch if they traded in a recently-purchased Tkachuk sweater — but now a bona fide franchise legend seems to be heading to a bitter rival.

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Ottawa Senators franchise legend Daniel Alfredsson is leaving after three seasons as an assistant coach to join the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching staff. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

Daniel Alfredsson is almost inarguably the greatest Ottawa Senator of all-time, with the Hall of Famer playing all but one of his 18 NHL seasons in Ottawa.

For the last three seasons, he has been an assistant on the Senators coaching staff, but now he's leaving to join — of all teams — the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealed that Alfredsson is going to become an associate head coach for the Sens' cross-province rival, and team owner Michael Andlauer formally acknowledged this with a classy statement.

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The Leafs made an official announcement of their own.

In the early 2000s, the Senators and Leafs played four playoff series in five seasons against each other, with Alfredsson