"I mean, I'm the captain, and that's probably a big part of it," [Daniel Alfredsson] said Wednesday.

"And especially this year, I haven't been playing the way I'm capable of, but I'm working to get better all the time. What bothers me is that I'm not performing the way I'm capable."

Whether it's wishful thinking or simply the product of someone's imagination, Alfredsson's name has in the past days surfaced in a trade rumour involving the Los Angeles Kings. Senators general manager John Muckler said Wednesday there was "absolutely no truth to that rumour."