OTTAWA - The Ottawa Senators must prove for the next little while that the ship won't go down with the captain.

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Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson makes a turn during practice in Ottawa on October 7, 2008.

Photograph by : Ottawa Citizen

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After a couple of weeks in Sweden during which captain Daniel Alfredsson was front and centre, he'll be out of the picture altogether for the next two to three weeks.

Alfredsson opted to have arthroscopic surgery Friday to remove a bone chip in his right knee, which is believed to have been caused by a last-minute hit from Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke in Sunday's 3-1 victory. Alfredsson took part in practices early in the week, but opted to have the surgery after consulting with the team's management and doctors.

There's no definitive timetable for his return, but the estimate is for two to three weeks.

Considering just how dreadful the Senators have been without their captain in the past - they were 3-8-1 without him last season - the situation has the potential to send the club into an early season tailspin.

What a time to face the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, the consensus pick to repeat as NHL champions. The Red Wings flew into Ottawa Friday, anxious to put behind them the embarrassment of losing 3-2 at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs in their season opener on Thursday. They figure to be fired up and feisty, wanting to take full advantage of Alfredsson's absence.

Senators coach Craig Hartsburg tried to spin the situation the best he could, claiming it's an early season chance for the team to prove it is about much more than one player.

"Every team in this league is going to go through it," he said. "You miss good players for games, but you know, that's the thing we've been talking about since training camp began. We need to be a team and certainly we're going to miss Alfredsson. He's out of our lineup and obviously we're a better team when he's in our lineup.

"But it's a great opportunity for us to prove, to prove we're different this year. This is a group that wants to take great pride in being a team and doing whatever it takes, and it's an opportunity for some people to step up and get an opportunity to do more. We don't need to change our plan, we're not going to change anything, but this is a good challenge for us and it's a great test right off the start to see how we react to it."

For the time being, Jarkko Ruutu and Mike Fisher will take the most prominent positions in making up for Alfredsson's absence. Ruutu, who put his best agitating style on display during the Senators' opening two games against Pittsburgh in Sweden, will move up to play with Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza on the club's top line.

"That's going to be fun," said Ruutu. "I'm just going to play my game and the other guys are going to have the puck a little more. It's just a simple game. We play the same system, so it's not going to affect that."

If Alfredsson causes fits for defencemen because of his speed, shot and abilities to change direction in tight spaces, Ruutu's role is to outwork those same defencemen by playing "an intelligent game," according to Hartsburg.

"I think, right now, he'll feel comfortable going there," the coach said. "I think he'll go in there and help those guys. He'll play his game. He'll be the same Ruutu there, whether he's on the third or fourth line."

Meanwhile, Fisher is returning from a lingering groin injury just in time to help fill the void. He's expected to play on a line with Chris Neil and Nick Foligno during even-strength situations and will replace Alfredsson on the top power-play unit.

"It's a tough break losing (Alfredsson), but we'll be fine if we continue to play as a team, play together, and if everyone chips in to keep going the way we've been going, we should be fine," Fisher said.

Ottawa Citizen