Phoenix Coyotes eye re-signing captain Shane Doan early before season –NHL offseason Update
There is still nearly a year before the next National Hockey League (NHL) free agency begins on July 1, 2012, and the dust still has not settled down from the previous offseason of trades and exchanges, but Phoenix Coyotes is already eyeing the opportunity
to re-sign their captain, Shane Doan, who still has a year left on his contract.
Currently Doan is signed to a five-year, $22.75 million contract by Phoenix Coyotes and has an annual cap hit of $4.55 million, which he is fully taking advantage of. It will not be surprising to see if Phoenix offers him another long term contract worth
nearly double the amount he is making now.
Phoenix Coyotes general manager, Don Maloney, expressed his views on the teams’ intentions to initiate a dialogue process well ahead of time so that their biggest hurdle can be sidelined.
“I would like to start dialogue to see where he is at, and what he is thinking”, Maloney said. “He is certainly a guy we would like to re-sign, and I would rather do it now and not next June 30”.
Picked as the seventh overall draft pick during round-one of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the then Winnipeg Jets, Doan participated in only a single season with his original draft team until it was relocated to Phoenix and became the Coyotes in 1996. He has
never played for another team ever since, which just goes to show his dedication and passion for the franchise.
Now since Doan will be turning 35 when the new season starts in October, Coyotes have another aspect to take into consideration, which is the matter of the fact is that he will be up for retirement soon and a replacement should be readily available, in-case
Doan is not able to stay healthy throughout. Maloney on the other hand, thinks Doan can pull it off.
"Shane is in his mid-30s, but he still has that cowboy body", Maloney said. "I think he could play another three or four years no problem and still play at a good, to very good, level".
Having played nearly 15 seasons with Phoenix, Shane Doan has become irreplaceable for Phoenix Coyotes, who have now showed their intention of keeping him at any cost possible.
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