OTTAWA — At some point, Daniel Alfredsson could return to a front office position with an NHL team.

For now, though, Alfredsson says it’s time “to be a stay-at-home dad for awhile.”

Alfredsson, who abruptly resigned as the Ottawa Senators senior advisor of hockey operations in early July, says his focus is on becoming more involved in the daily lives of his four sons, including helping coach them in minor hockey.

Until Monday, the longtime Senators captain had been silent on his reasons for leaving the organization. After officially retiring as a player with the Senators in 2014, he had spent the past two seasons working closely with former general manager Bryan Murray, current general manager Pierre Dorion and assistant general manager Randy Lee.

“I have a couple of projects on the go, but nothing major,” said Alfredsson, who put his golf game to the test during Monday’s Brooke and Friends Pro-Am at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

“Once school starts, it’s full on with activities with the kids. We’re moving into a new house here in the fall, so we have a lot of planning to do with that. So, it’s going to be a quiet year for me, overall.

“With all the changes in coming back to Ottawa (from Detroit), first renting a house, then buying a house, there have been a lot of adjustments for the family.”

Alfredsson insists that Ottawa is home.

“We just bought a house and (there) is school and sports,” he said. “We’re not going anywhere for a lot of years, if ever.”

While he plans on staying low-key in NHL circles for awhile, he’s not closing the door on returning to management at some point.

“Who knows? If that opportunity would come back again, I would look at it very hard,” he said. “It’s what I know best. It’s what I love, as well. I can see that in the future at some point. But when, I don’t know.”

MOURNING MURRAY

For everyone involved with the Senators, it promises to be a difficult week.

Bryan Murray’s funeral will be held Tuesday in Shawville. A Celebration of Life, open to the public, will be held at the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.

Murray, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014, died on Aug. 12.

Alfredsson had a special bond with Murray. It was the connection between the two that paved the way for Alfredsson’s return to Ottawa after he spent two seasons in Detroit at the tail end of his career.

“We had some great years with him and it the most fun I’ve ever had playing,” Alfredsson said of his years with Murray as his coach.

“He was good at X’s and O’s, but his biggest asset was his willingness to get a group working together, to make everybody feel a part of it and motivate everybody.

“When you know the players want to play for the coach, it’s a special feeling. He always stood up for us, always protected us. He made sure that on the teams he built and coached, there was a mix of speed and skill and smartness and toughness. We could play any style. He was also an optimist. Don’t wait for the game to come to you. Go get it. And I loved that about him.”

DORION FEELS FOR FAMILY

Dorion, who took over the GM reins from Murray in 2016, says the death “has been tough for everyone, but I think about his family first and foremost. I think about (wife) Geri and (daughters) Heide and Brittany,” said Dorion, who also took part in Monday’s Pro-Am.

“That’s who I’m thinking about. And then I think about never having another conversation about how our power play is going or a trade or anything like that. I wouldn’t be the person I am without Bryan Murray.”

SENS LINEUP NOT SET YET

Another sign that summer is coming to a close? Senators training camp opens on Sept. 15.

Following the Senators run to overtime in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference final in May, Dorion is naturally full of hope about the 2017-18 season. He believes the Senators are well positioned, suggesting they have better depth than last season. (It says here that the Senators biggest test is proving they can fill the void left by the loss of Marc Methot to Dallas).

It sure sounds like Dorion has something else in mind before the Senators open the regular season Oct. 5 against Washington.

“I don’t think we’re done,” he said. “There is still maybe a move or two to be done. Whether it’s through trade, free agency, or waivers after (training) camps start, I still feel we can improve our team and build upon what we did last year.”

AWKWARD INTRODUCTION

Methot was laughing Monday about how he first met Brooke Henderson.

“I got to meet her on the course last week,” Methot said. “I shanked a ball into her fairway and I had to walk over and say hi. We had a good laugh about it. She was with her family. I’m really excited for her and hopefully I will be able to catch her play a little bit.”

Methot grew up “one minute” from the Hunt Club and marvels at how big an event the CP Women’s Open is.

Methot, meanwhile, has come to terms with the whirlwind of his summer, which included being plucked off waivers by expansion Las Vegas and subsequently traded to Dallas. His fiancée, Ellie Campbell, is due with the couple’s first child in December.

Methot says he has leaned on former Senators captain Jason Spezza and former Senators goaltender Ben Bishop for help in trying to settle in Texas.

“I went down there a month ago, to find a house and do a media day,” Methot said. “The team was first class, with everything from travel to setting us up in hotel.”

LINE OF THE DAY

When Dorion showed up for Monday’s Pro-Am event, he wasn’t sure which LPGA player he was playing with. Informed that it was Thailand’s Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong, Dorion didn’t even attempt to pronounce her game. “Makes Borowiecki look like Smith,” quipped CTV Ottawa’s Terry Marcotte.

kwarren@postmedia.com