Zach Parise and Ryan Suter have officially been off the UFA market for four days. It was speculated that once Parise and Suter signed their respective gargantuan UFA deals, that the UFA market and secondary trade markets would fire up instantaneously. Save for an Olli Jokinen signing in Winnipeg and a Matt Carle deal in Tampa, there has been very little activity across the NHL. There are several big name players who are commanding serious attention from sevral different teams across the NHL. Teams, and their fans, continue to sit and wait. And, wait.
Rick Nash is still being held captive by his GM in Columbus. Bobby Ryan still doesn't know where he stands with Anaheim. Roberto Luongo has all but declared himself gone from Vancouver. Alex Semin is persona non grata to NHL teams. KHL bound?
Then, there's the case of Shane Done, the heart and soul of the Phoenix Coyotes. Doan has deliberately put off a decision on his own UFA status while he waits to see what happens with the potential sale of the Desert Dogs franchise. Doan is expected to start negotiations on Monday, but there is no timeline for when he will select and sign with a new team, Doan's agent Terry Bross explained to the Arizona Republic.
"What people need to understand about this guy is it would have been very easy for me (on Sunday July 1) to taken some of the teams I've spoken to and said, 'OK, let's get something done," said Bross, who began representing Doan in October 2011. "(Doan) especially said to me, 'Listen, we're not taking offers. You can tell teams I'm interested, but we're not even taking offers until we know what's happening at home.'"
Doan and his agent feel like they will have a clearer understanding of the Coyotes possible future in Glendale, Arizona by July 9. That's when the city will demand the signatures for a possible referendum on prospective owner Greg Jamison's lease agreement.
Two Glendale residents have been working on a petition to add an item on the November ballot in hopes of squashing the deal with Jamison.
Doan hasn't ruled out a one-off contract, however, at age 35, he presumably wants the assurances that a long term deal would provide him with.
If and when the Yotes captain opts for a change of scenery, there will be a mosh pit of GMs clamoring to attract him to their teams. The Coyotes are doing everything they can to persuade him to stay. Ny gut tells me that Doan will opt out after Monday July 9.
According to the Arizona Republic, Doan's in the driver's seat:
If Doan considers other teams, many factors would play into his decision, Bross said, including management, relationship with the players and the team's chances of winning the Stanley Cup. Eight teams expressed interest in Doan when the free agency period opened on Sunday.
"I don't think he'll ever completely rule out Phoenix," Bross said.
I'm not going to lie about it. I'm an unabashed Shane Doan fan. Always have been. Always will be. The guy is the embodiment of all the things you want to see in a great hockey player: he plays an honest game, works his ass off is practice and in games, is a leader of men, is as tough as leather, will drop his gloves to defend his family members, keeps himself in impeccable physical shape, and is no slouch when it comes to offensive production. At 6'1 and 228 lbs., Doan is a tank on skates and he loves to use his size to shield pucks and to batter opponents on the walls,
With the black storm clouds hovering overhead regarding the future ownership of the Desert Dogs in Phoenix right now, Doan is keeping his eyes and ears open. Will the new owner turn around the fortunes of the team that shocked the NHL this season, or, will it be loading up the Mayflower moving trucks and heading due north to Quebec City in the days and weeks to come?
Speculation abounds. Doan has options, and he is reportedly considering ALL of them, including testing the UFA market.
Doan became a UFA on Sunday July 1. He just completed playing out a five year, $22,750,000 contract. His average cap hit per season was a cap-friendly $4,550,000 per season.
In 1198 career NHL games, Doan has scored 318 goals and added 470 assists. 788 points and 1071 PIMS is quite an impressive body of work for a 16 year NHL veteran who still has Gary Roberts-like rubber on his all-season radials. He's played in 55 career NHL playoff games, amassing 15 goals and 13 assists, with 85 PIMs to boot.
Doan is a pain in the ass to play against, and for that reason alone, he'd be a perfect fit in the Buffalo top six forwards group. No. He is not a centre. Who cares? The guy is a difference maker that I feel the Sabres should be taking a strong look at right now. Like Steve Ott, Doan possesses all of the intangibles.Imagine Doan and Steve Ott on the Sabres bench during key moments in close games. Instant leadership and respect. He'd be a great role model to the kids in the Sabres system like Ennis, Hodgson, Adam, Armia, Grigorenko, Girgensons, Porter, et al.
Want to know what kind of character this guy has? Watch this video recorded after the Yotes were eliminated in 5 games vs. the LA Kings.
Don't let his age fool you. He's 35 right now, and is showing one iota of slowing down.
If you can't get Dustin Brown, go get the next best thing: Shane Doan.
2 years and $10-11.5 million sounds about right to me.
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