Shane Doan stays with Phoenix

 

The Shane Doan situation has finally been resolved. On the eve of the NHL's second lockout in nine years, Doan announced that he will stay with the Coyotes by signing a four-year, $21.2 million contract (The Fourth Period). Doan will also receive a $2 million signing bonus in order to remain with Phoenix. 

After all that, Doan sticks with Phoenix. Did it really need to take this long? 

Doan had been connected to numerous teams including the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres even offered a four-year, $30 million contract for Doan in the hopes of landing the veteran. Despite all the rumors, Doan claimed that he still desired to be a member of the Coyotes. This idea was in doubt as Doan prolonged his decision. In the end, he decided to stick with Phoenix and pass on a larger offer from Buffalo. Family and friends ended up coming first for the 16-year veteran. 

Ironically, Doan drug his decision out all the way to the night before lockout is set to begin. One has to wonder why Doan took so long. We understand that Doan had his concerns over the ownership situation in Phoenix, yet those fears should have been partially put to rest due to the announcement that tentative owner Greg Jamison did indeed have the funds in place to purchase the team. 

The neutral fan was rooting for Doan to stick with the Coyotes. The veteran has skated with the organization since he broke into the NHL during the 1995-96 season when the Coyotes were the Winnipeg Jets. It's exceptionally rare that a player in the NHL, or any league for that matter, sticks with one team for the duration of his career. It would've been sad, and somewhat disappointing, to see Doan in a new sweater. 

Now, on to the analysis of Doan's new contract. Personally, I thought four years was a bit much for a guy that will turn 36 in October. Doan can still be productive at his ripe age – he notched 22 goals and a total of 50 points in 2011-12 – but one has to wonder how productive he will be when he turns 40 in the final year of his contract. 

We now know where Doan will play when hockey returns – the only question left is when he'll have a chance to play. 

About David Rogers

Editor for The Comeback and Contributing Editor for Awful Announcing. Lover of hockey, soccer and all things pop culture.

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