Report: Coyotes’ Doan would consider waiving no-trade clause for right fit

Shane Doan has spent his entire career with the same organization, but he would reportedly consider a trade if the right opportunity presented itself. Even if he does leave, though, don’t rule out a Doan return to Arizona by next season.

The best years of Shane Doan’s career are behind him, there’s no doubt about that, but the veteran winger can still chip in as a bottom-six player, and that could make him enticing come the trade deadline. And according to a report, Doan might actually be willing to accept a trade if the Coyotes can find a good fit.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday evening that Doan, 40, could very well acquiesce to Arizona’s request for him to waive his no-trade clause if the team approaches him with a deal that would be a fit for both the Coyotes going forward and give the franchise’s longtime captain a shot at chasing a championship at the tail end of his career.

Said Friedman: “(The Coyotes are) looking at it like, ‘He’s not going to be here forever, we have to see who else can be the leaders of the team, maybe we might have to move on, but we want to put Shane Doan in a situation where he’d be happy.’ ”

The difficult thing for the Coyotes is that moving Doan isn’t likely to fetch the team all that much in return, so dealing him may be more as a service to Doan than anything. 

Through 42 games this season, Doan has just four goals and 12 points and his ice time has diminished by more than two minutes per game. That’s part and parcel with being the veteran leader on a team that’s getting younger — Doan is simply fading into the background while the young players take over the bigger minutes — but it means that any team acquiring Doan will be likely to look at him as a bottom-six piece and nothing more. His name value might be enough to upgrade the return, but it shouldn’t be by any significant measure.

That’s not the only difficulty for Arizona GM John Chayka when it comes to dealing Doan, either. There’s also the matter of finding a team that would offer a suitable situation for Doan and has the cap space to acquire him. Despite the fact he’s no longer a key contributor, Doan’s cap hit is close to $4 million. The deadline offers teams a bit more wiggle room given they’re acquiring only part of the contract, but even still, there aren’t many top contenders who will have the want, need or space to bring in Doan without Arizona potentially retaining some salary. On the plus side, retained salary could mean a bigger return for the Coyotes.

If Doan does move on at or before the trade deadline, it will be intriguing to see if the change of scenery or chance at a title gives him a boost in the back half of the year. However, it is somewhat disappointing that one of the few times it has really seemed like Doan could move on comes at a point in his career where he’s not the same player he was even three or four seasons earlier.

Doan has for years been in a position where he could have possibly moved on from the Coyotes, and while there’s no knowing exactly how close some trade talks may have come at past deadlines and what have you, Doan had a real opportunity to head elsewhere back during the off-season ahead of the 2012-13 campaign. Doan, then 35, remained a free agent through the entire summer and into September ahead of the lockout-shortened campaign, but eventually inked a four-year, $21.2-million deal to remain in Arizona.

And no matter what happens with Doan at or before the trade deadline, don’t rule out the possibility of him suiting up for the Coyotes come the start of the 2017-18 season. Chayka said the Coyotes and Doan are taking a year-to-year approach and the door would remain open for Doan to return if he decided he wanted to. So even if Doan does wave goodbye to Arizona, his absence might only be temporary.

Want more in-depth features and expert analysis on the game you love? Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.