Have we ever heard and seen Darcy Regier profess this much ooeey, gooey, mooshy emotion about an NHL player that he would love to court to come to Buffalo than Shane Doan?
Hold The Public Display Of Affection, Batman!
This is getting pretty interesting, isn't it? The usually reserved, ultra-conservative Regier, who when building his team, prefers a stealth-like operation over a public campaign, has made no bones about professing his respect and admiration for Doan. Regier has a bad case of the Doan Flu.
Regier has been open and candid about his feelings about Doan. H said it again today in Buffalo. Regier wants a face to face meeting with Doan, like the one that the prized UFA had with the owners and GM of the Canucks on Tuesday night in an Italian ristorante in VanCity.
As the Buffalo Bills found out during the courtship of their monster free agent, Mario Williams, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
Check out the dinner menu, as reported by Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province:
Regardless of what they receive in return for Luongo, the Canucks are mindful of their salary structure and it's hard to imagine they would go north of the $6.1 million US cap hit for Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
Maybe that's why the dinner fare featured an antipasto rustico platter of cured meats and marinated olives, carne and pesce piatto of veal, trout, prawns and penne, followed by desserts. No word on the wine tab but obviously some overall restraint as the entourage dined at an open table and weren't over-run by autograph seekers in the packed restaurant. Restraint all around.
In order to coax Doan to buffalo for a date night, Regier will have to outshine the Canucks, in terms of dollars, menu,, and wine selection.
“What I would say about Shane’s situation is that I admire the level of loyalty he’s provided to Phoenix. He’s spent his whole career with that organization, and I think that’s meaningful and I admire that. But in the event he’s not going to stay there, we certainly do have an interest.”
thanks, sabres.com
Though he won't confirm it, Regier is likely the NHL Gm who has made the four year, $7.5 million contract offer to Doan.
Doan has yet to meet with Buffalo. His agent Terry Bross told me earlier this week that "Buffalo is in the mix" and that travel plans were being finalized to get Doan airborne in order to visit the six teams that are hard after him. He's already met with NY, Philly, and Vancouver. Its very likely will be meeting with Buffalo, Montreal, and Pittsburgh. I'm awaiting conformation from Bross.
In the meantime, one asks, how can Vancouver bring in a 35 year old UFA who would be making substantially more more money than the Sedins ($6.1 million per season) and Ryan Kesler ($5 million per season)?
Like Regier, Nucks GM, Mike Gillis is gaga for Doan. However, what would a Doan acquisition do the chemistry in the Vancouver room? Right now, the Canucks have a little less than $3 million in cap space for the 2012-13 season. A Roberto Luongo trade is imminent. That will clear cap space. Clearing money for Doan is one thing. Good luck getting the vets in the room to accept his $7.5+ million annual salary.
My good friend, Kevin Snow from Sabres.com suggests this timeless classic!
Dear Shane, don't you forget about Darcy and the Buffalo Sabres.
Good news regarding the Sabres lone RFA, Tyler Ennis.
Darcy Regier reports this morning that he and Ennis' agent spoke yesterday, and will do so again today.
Ennis is the only Sabres not under contract for next season.
Ennis will be paired with Stafford and Foligno to start the season. The hope is that Enzo will continue to perform at the freakish level that he did in last season's final 20 games.
I'm thinking two years at $2.8-$3 million per season.
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Another day. Another chapter to the long and winding Shane Doan saga.
In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, John Gambadoro (@Gambo620) of Arizona Sports , reported that Doan was in Vancouver, meeting with the Canucks brass.
The rumour was later confirmed by Vancouver radio station, CKWX.
BREAKING - Shane Doan sighting in Vancouver. Sources tell CKWX he had meeting with the Canucks this evening.
— News1130 Sports (@News1130Sports) August 1, 2012
There's no secret that Vancouver GM, Mike Gillis, want to add Doan to the Canucks. Gillis, like many other GMS including Darcy Regier, that Doan would be an inmmediate upgrade to the top six forward ranks. However, Gillis has a conundrum. Doan is asking for an annual contract north of $7.5 million. Doan has an offer in hand for 4 years and $30 million. I've heard this week that one unknown team is willing to go all-in and pay Doan $8 million for five seasons. $40 million for a 36 year old is unheard of money in today's market. Thats a lotta sushi for a soon-to-be 36 year old power forward. Mike Gillis has had a self-imposed rule in place for years in Couver whereby he will not commit heavy money over long term to players who are 35+. Gillis lost out on landing orca whale, Shea Weber. He won't get fooled again.
Recently, Gillis told the Globe and Mail that he'd break his rule were he to attract Doan to VanCity. On July 23, Gillis said:
“We’re one of the teams that are active in trying to pursue him and see if he’d like to play here in Vancouver,” said Gillis in an interview in his office at Rogers Arena on Monday morning. “Not sure of a timeline yet but we’re hopeful we have a chance to convince him to play here.”
“There are specific situations that cause you, not to reconsider the guidelines, but present a different set of a facts, a different set of circumstances, that take you outside of those guidelines.”
Gillis is already paying the Sedin twins $6.1 million per season. Ryan Kesler is entering year two of a five year, $25 million contract. Kesler at age 27 is a dynamic centreman who plays in all phases of the game.
I'm not a frequent visitor to the Canucks dressing room, but I have to think that signing Doan would immediately make him the highest paid guy in the room. Doan would be earning $3 million more per season than Kesler, and that might not sit well with the 27 year old Canucks assistant captain. Thats just speculation on my part. Ditto Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Noses get out of joint quickly when "Buzz Lightyear" shows up in Andy's bedroom flashing his lazer all about the place. "Woody" and the rest of the toys get pissed off, and rightly so.
Kesler at age 27 is a dynamic centreman who plays in all phases of the game. I'm not sure I'd want to upset team chemistry by bringing in an older leader who's making $3 million more per season than than arguably their best player.
Maybe Gillis does win the Doan sweepstakes. What then becomes of Kesler? Does he accept the move, or does he turn thumbs down to it? Imagine Kesler wearing Blue and Gold.
Get your score card out and use your black Sharpie to cross the Canucks off the lsit of teams taht Doan has vissited in the past two weeks. He spent time in Manhattan, and in Philly, a couple of weeks back. There was a rumour that he quietly hung out with Jonathon Toews in Chicago last wekend. Now, the Vancouver visit.
thanks, canucks.com
By my count, Doan still owes visits to Buffalo, Montreal, and Pittsburgh.
Doan's agent, Terry Bross, told me in an email early last Saturday morning that:
"Buffalo in mix putting together travel plans tomorrow (Sunday). Will advise when I know plan".
I'm awaiting an updated itinerary from Bross.
Lets face it, theJamison group have valiantly tried to raise the cash $170 million that the NHL has deemed a reasonable asking price for the Phoenix Coyotes. Jamison is approximately 421 million light right now. Meaning, Doan's days in the desert are numbered.
Its August 1. The NHL free agency period began with a thud on July 1. Bross and Doan have been more than accomodating and respectfully loyal to the Jamison group. The agent and player have sat idly by, waiting for the green light to appear on Jamison's $170 million investment coming to fruition.
Its time for Doan and his wife to sell the house in Phoenix, sign with a new team, and get situated in a new city. School will be back in session in 4-5 weeks.
As a Sabres fan, you should be cheering for Doan to sign in Vancouver. Doan's potential addition to the Canucks 9and it appears as though Mike Gillis is salivating at the thought of signing him) may lead to the subtraction of Ryan Kesler, who at age 27, is a decorated veteran, Selke C with 30+ goals in his stick annually.
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