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What seems like forever ago, Terry Bross told the Arizona Republic that many teams were interested in Doan, but he would only take a hard look at two or three teams outside of Phoenix. It was rumored that those teams were the Los Angeles Kings, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Detroit Red Wings. It has become apparent over the last week that Doan's short list of teams he will leave Phoenix for has expanded to include at least seven teams: San Jose, Vancouver, L.A., Pittsburgh, Detroit, Philadelphia, and the New York Rangers. Winnipeg and Nashville have also confirmed that they would make a big push to try and acquire the gritty veteran, but the interest does not appear to be mutual. Doan has spent the past week visiting potential destinations with trips to New York and Philadelphia, in addition to spending today in Vancouver talking to Canucks management. His agent, Terry Bross, has said Doan did not visit Buffalo on Monday, contrary to what some outlets reported. Bross has not tipped his hat as to what direction his client is favoring, but that's because we all know Doan wants to stay in Phoenix, but ownership uncertainty has forced his hand into at least exploring other options.
Speaking of which, what's happening on that front? Well, since you asked, the deadline for the City of Glendale and new-potential owner Greg Jamison to reach an agreement expired the other day, but was then extended by 31 days. This is the third time the two parties (three, if you include the NHL,) could not come to a definitive conclusion to their negotiations and subsequently extended the deadline. This 31-day extension is also the longest extension out of the three. Doan planned on waiting until the some sort of light was shed on the Yotes' ownership situation before making his decision, but one cannot expect him to wait all 31 days of the newest negotiations between Jamison and Glendale before choosing what sweater he will be wearing next season, especially considering he has already been actively visiting other clubs. Jamison has been reassuring Doan during the entire summer that he believes a deal with the city will ultimately happen, but no news positive or negative seem to be coming out of Glendale regarding progress.
While Jamison and City Council try to iron out the details of their dollars and cents, the details of Doan's own contract are his worry. Four days ago, the Globe and Mail sent the hockey world abuzz when they published an article saying Shane Doan would want roughly a 4-year, $30 million contract for any team to lure him away from Phoenix. Doan's agent quickly denied the report, implying such a lucrative deal will not be mandatory to snatch his client from the only franchise he's ever played for. Now, four days later it has surfaced that an offer similar to that one was offered to Doan by an unnamed team (cough, cough, Winnipeg, cough). While much of those names and numbers are speculation, Doan has said that he will want a multi-year deal if he were to leave Phoenix for another team, and while $30 million is an extremely large number for Doan, it should not take that much to sign him at the end of the day.
Lastly, there seems to be a lot of Doan-bashing going on in the media and Twitter recently, most likely born out of frustration of Doan's slow approach to his decision making. Everyone is aware of his reputation as a locker room favorite and a shining human being outside of hockey, but many have still been wondering if he is worth all of this trouble, not just the contract. He may not have a flashy skill set and his footwork and speed are certainly past their prime, but he can still from point A to point B. There is a reason every team he has faced in the playoffs the past few years are so interested in him; he's tenacious. He battles hard, fears no one, drives the heart and soul of his team and can still come up with clutch scoring. Know this, only one team can have Shane Doan, and ultimately, the chances of your team landing him are slim, but he is worth the trouble.
