Daniel Alfredsson registered an assist in the Senators' 3-1 loss to the Penguins Monday night.

Alfredsson has been one of the steadiest players since entering the league in 1995. The Ottawa captain has 23 points in 44 games for the Senators this year in what could very well be his last NHL season.

Even if the Ottawa Senators weren't in the playoff race, they probably wouldn't have traded 40-year-old forward Daniel Alfredsson.

"I don't think we would have made the decision," said Murray. "Alfie is a Senator and we'd like him to be that for the rest of his career. I don't think there was anytime, other than media speculation, that we were even considering anything with him. We're fortunate though that our team has played the way they are. We've got a good group of young people that play hard. Alfie and some of the veterans have really made a big impression on them. We've been the benefactors because of it." Once Alfredsson retires, which might happen this summer, the Senators will likely offer him the opportunity to remain in the organization in some other capacity. It's possible that the longtime captain will chose to pursue a coaching career.

Daniel Alfredsson netted two goals in a 5-3 victory Saturday.

Alfredsson now has eight goals and 20 points in 31 games this season. Jakob Silfverberg netted his eighth goal and recorded his fifth assist in 32 contests. Eric Gryba and Guillaume Latendresse accounted for Ottawa's other two goals. Marc Methot and Kyle Turris each assisted on two of Ottawa's five goals.