Will Shane Doan Be In A Coyotes Uniform Next Season?

With the Coyotes season having ended on Saturday night, it’s time for players, coaches and front office execs to begin preparing for offseason while fans and bloggers can begin speculating on what the team is going to look like come next season.

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The biggest question surrounding this team going forward is the future of their captain Shane Doan. Doan is under contract for one more season, but has some options if he’s unhappy being part of a rebuild this organization is going through over the next couple of years.

Craig Morgan of Fox Sports Arizona brought up something that Doan can use if he indeed wants to play for another team at some point next season.

"Doan has a no-movement clause that he could waive to request a trade if he doesn’t like the franchise’s direction. It’s likely the Coyotes would grant that request given how much he has given and meant to the organization. They might also grant his request because he’s due to make $4.55 million next season; a high price for a 19-year veteran."

Of course, the Coyotes have made it clear that they want him back for another season. Doan is the heart and soul of this franchise and he’s arguably the most beloved athlete here in the Valley.

"“There’s a lot of life left in his game and we certainly want him back,” Maloney said."

In his 19th season in the league, Doan had a down year. In 79 games, the forward had only 36 points, which was one of his lowest totals of his career.

Of course, those numbers can’t be put solely on Doan’s shoulders. With how bad the Coyotes were this season, it’s not like the 38-year-old had a ton of talent around him to help him out.

Now, the question remains is whether Doan would be open to a trade. This is what the Coyotes captain said on Monday to reporters regarding his future.

"“I don’t think there’s a timeline on it,” Doan said of making a decision on his future. “It’ll be discussed with my family and my wife and everything that’s kind of going on with the team.“We’ll see how it goes. I mean I’m still a pretty big believer in a lot of the guys around here.”"

When asked if he could see himself requesting Maloney to trade him, Doan said, “I don’t know. I don’t even really want to think too much about that.”

With Doan about to enter his 20th and possibly his final season in the NHL, it’s hard to see a man in the twilight of his career being part of a long-term rebuild as Sarah McLellan of AZCentral.com alluded to in this tweet.

Doan: "To have it be 4 or 5 years, it has to be a lot quicker than that for me. It's totally up to them. That's their decision."
— Sarah McLellan (@sarah__mclellan) April 13, 2015

I’ve always held a much different opinion than the majority of Yotes fan on the Doan subject. I think that if the right trade comes along, Maloney and company should move Doan elsewhere.

Now, I’m not saying you wait on a big return for him because you just aren’t going to get that from a team at this stage of his career. I’m saying that it needs to be a perfect situation for Doan, a team that is a true contender for the Cup.

Call me crazy, but I’d much rather seen Doan, who has put in his fair share of blood, sweat and tears into this organization over the years, win a championship to close out his career than to remain on a Coyotes roster which will likely struggle to make the postseason again next year.

It’s time for this organization to do what is best for their captain and get him that championship he’s been longing for. He’s certainly not going to do that here any time soon.

Next: Three Stars Of The Coyotes Season

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