NHL Rumors: Pittsburgh Penguins Are a Perfect Fit for Veteran Winger Shane Doan

Well, hockey fans, this year's free agency period just got a little bit more exciting.

With marquee names like Ryan Suter, Zach Parise and Justin Schultz set to hit the free-agent market, July 1 has been a day many have looked forward to for quite awhile. And now, rumors have surfaced that another soon-to-be free agent will also be testing the free-agent market come Sunday.

As TSN reported on Tuesday evening Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan is ready to listen to offers from teams around the league.

Doan has been in the desert from day one. In fact, he actually outdates the Coyotes, as he was a member of the original Winnipeg Jets organization.

The move has many perplexed, as Doan has spent his entire career with the organization. But with the current ownership situation in Phoenix, Doan may very well be on his way out.

That leads us to speculate about where the 35-year-old right-winger may land.

You'd have to think Shane Doan will want to end up somewhere that can afford to pay him the salary he deserves, as well as provide him with a capable center and a decent shot at winning his first ever Stanley Cup.

Enter the Pittsburgh Penguins.

While there may be speculation surrounding Pittsburgh and top-tier free agents like Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, looking into Doan could be a solid secondary plan for Pens GM Ray Shero.

In fact, after clearing the salaries of both veteran defenseman Zbynek Michalek and star forward Jordan Staal, Shero may be able to sign either Parise or Suter and Shane Doan.

For Pittsburgh, Doan would bring an excellent veteran presence that the team could certainly use. He'd also bring an abundance of talent and could provide a great source of secondary scoring and enhance the Penguins' second power play.

So, once Sunday morning comes around, Ray Shero would be wise to not only pursue Suter and Parise, but also keep close tabs on what's going on in the Shane Doan camp. Doan could be that last piece to put Pittsburgh over the top.

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