NHL Rumors: Shane Doan’s Alternate Plan Includes Pittsburgh Penguins Or Does It?
The Phoenix Coyotes are not making their captain, Shane Doan‘s, free-agency decision an easy one this off season. NHL rumors are still swirling around about where Doan will end up and will no doubt continue until the future of the Coyotes franchise is determined.
That indirectly makes those teams interested in Doan and / or who have submitted an offer and are waiting on his answer difficult for them as well.
Speculation has been that the Pittsburgh Penguins remain in the running as one of three teams that Doan is interested in; however, recent reports have indicated that his agent, Terry Bross, has confirmed that Doan has only made visits to see the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Vancouver Canucks. And he’s said to favor the Rangers.
So if Doan didn’t visit Pittsburgh then why would they remain one of his choices? The speculation that the Penguins are still in play may be coming from the fact that Pittsburgh is very interested in acquiring the Coyotes captain; moreso than he is in playing for them.
It could be another case of wishful thinking on Pittsburgh’s part just as it was in the case of former New Jersey Devils captain and current Minnesota Wild alternate captain, Zach Parise. The Penguins could really benefit from Doan’s experience as a leader on and off the ice. The team has always accomplished the most when they’ve had a veteran presence on the roster, so I would hope they would be more aggressive in their pursuit and that Ray Shero has something up his sleeve.
Although Shero may not have a chance to play his cards since the latest on Doan and the Coyotes is that the sale to Greg Jamison is almost complete. This would ultimately mean the franchise will remain in Phoenix and their captain will, no doubt, return to finish his career with them and take himself off the market for any other NHL clubs.
Buy Pittsburgh Penguins Tickets | Buy Pittsburgh Penguins ApparelStephanie Lewark is a featured Pittsburgh Penguins columnist for www.RantSports.com. If you enjoy her articles / posts, you can follow her on Twitter (@steelcitysports), check out her personal Facebook page (via Networked Blogs), visit her personal Tumblr page, or stop by her Pinterest page.
4 Rants to “NHL Rumors: Shane Doan’s Alternate Plan Incl...”
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This is the worst title to a sports article that I have ever seen. Bar none.
Shane Doan is not worth $6M/yr, and not (at his age) worthy of a 4 year deal. Shero would be a fool to sign him even if he had the chance.
I’m going to agree with you, but I really wouldn’t mind seeing Doan in a Penguins uniform!!
And if the Coyotes stay in Phoenix … there’s no chance of that happening anyway.