NHL Rumors: Shane Doan's Best Option Is to Stay with Phoenix Coyotes

Shane Doan has no shortage of suitors around the NHL, but the best option for him at this point in his career is to stay with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Phoenix general manager Don Maloney confirmed that the team is trying everything it can to retain the right winger.

“I’ve been communicating with Shane and his agent on a regular basis since July 1 and I still believe we’ll get Shane signed,” he told Dave Vest of "The Desert Dog Blog."

Doan is 35 and has played 16 seasons in the NHL. He’s still producing at a high level and had 22 goals to go along with 28 assists as the Coyotes’ captain last season. 

The team has plenty of talent and finished with 97 points—good enough for the third seed in the Western Conference.

The Phoenix area has been good to Doan, who has spent his entire career with the franchise.

“Doan is a player who has made it very clear over the years that he loves playing in the desert. It's his home and if all things were equal, he'd be staying there, no question,” CBS Sports’ Brian Stubits noted.

The problem with Doan re-signing with the only club he has ever known revolves around the future of the franchise.

As outlined by the New York Times’ Fernanda Santos, the NHL bought the Coyotes after it went bankrupt in 2009. Now, an investment group headed by Greg Jamison is trying to buy the team.

But Jamison, a former CEO of the San Jose Sharks, is facing a severe amount of discontent from the surrounding community of Glendale, Ariz. The local government granted the franchise $324 million over 20 years for managements costs, as noted by Santos. But, Joe Cobb, a retired economics professor, is collecting signatures to get an initiative on the ballot that would squash the deal.

The local residents, like many people across the country, have fallen on tough economic times and—for good reason—do not see the financial merits of keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix.

Doan is right to have concerns to sign a long-term deal with a team that could relocate in the next few years. 

But moving homes is a reality he is already facing while testing the free agent market, although he would likely be heading to a more stable situation with another team.

Re-signing with the Coyotes is certainly a risk, but there is still a chance he remains in the city that he has made his home. In addition, this move makes sense on the ice.

Doan is a leader in the locker room and has helped the team to three consecutive postseason appearances. He will be respected anywhere he goes, but his presence has the most impact in Phoenix.

The veteran forward will be making the right move by continuing to lead the Coyotes to more successful seasons. He has the talent and personality to keep the team’s postseason streak alive, and the Coyotes need him now more than ever.