Alfie Out Two Weeks

Ian Mendes of Rogers Sportsnet is reporting that Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfreddson will undergo knee surgery and is scheduled to be out of action for ten to fourteen days.

The right knee of the captain will be scoped in Ottawa later Friday, and he will miss the team's home opener against the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings Saturday night. The surgery is supposed to take care of a bone chip that became dislodged in Sunday's game against Pittsburgh. The team said it had nothing to do with the hit ((and subsequent knee injury)) from the Leafs' Mark Bell that ended his season last year.

Alfredsson ((pictured, thanks NHL/Getty Images)) could, in reality, only miss one game- the game in Phoenix against the Coyotes on the 17th.

"We were told he could go forward with this for some time, but that at some point, it (bone chips) should be removed," said Senators General Manager Bryan Murray. "We thought and he thought that this was the best time to do that."

"Certainly we're going to miss Alfie, because we're a better team when he's in our lineup," head coach Craig Hartsburg added on Friday. "But it's a great opportunity The player who will get the opportunity to step into Alfredsson's spot on top line is Jarkko Ruutu, who skated with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley in practice on Friday.

"It's going to be fun. I'm just going to play my game and the other guys are going to have the puck more," Ruutu said. "It's a simple game and we know the team system."

SIDENOTE ALERT: Sens owner Eugene Melnyk told Mats Sundin face-to-face last week that he wants him to be a member of the team according to the Thursday Ottawa Sun edition. The former Leaf, debating his own existence at the moment, was told that the team would make room for him on the roster.

The Senators, currently have a little less than US$3-million left under the salary cap ceiling. But it would also mean, probably, moving either the recently-healthy Mike Fisher, Antoine Vermette, or Chris Kelly. One of those three leaving would make more financial sense that either Jesse Winchester or Cody Bass who are still on their rookie deals...