If Greg Jamison is unable to complete his purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes in time to convince Shane Doan to stay in the Arizona desert, he could wind up losing the face of the franchise to his old team.
The San Jose Sharks, a franchise Jamison was part of for 18 years - including 15 as CEO - are emerging as an under-the-radar favorite to land Doan, according to Kevin Kurz, who covers the team for CSNCalifornia.com, and cites an unnamed source as the basis for his report.
The 35-year-old Doan, who scored 22 goals and handed out 28 assists in 2011-12, is the top free agent remaining on the market. His stated preference is to remain with the Coyotes, the franchise he's played his entire 16-year NHL career for, but the slow pace of Jamison's negotiations to buy the team has left the veteran winger to investigate other options.
Over the past month, Doan has met with the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks, with the Pittsburgh Penguins also on the list of possible destinations. The Sharks, however, would keep him in the Pacific Division, with a team that has finished first or second in the division and advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the last eight years.
Having that kind of team isnt' cheap, however, and if Doan is to get his full freight in San Jose - believed to be upwards of $6 million per year - the Sharks will have to shed salary. San Jose has a little more than $5.5 million in salary cap space according to CapGeek.com, and currently has just 11 forwards on the NHL roster. To make room for Doan and an extra forward or two, the Sharks will need to make a trade of some sort, moving an expensive contract for a cheaper one and/or some combination of prospects and draft picks. Just who would go is uncertain, but it wouldn't be likely to happen until and unless San Jose signs Doan.
The Sharks disappointed last season, going 43-29-10 and finishing seventh in the Western Conference before bowing out to the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs. Doan could certainly help - particularly since it would complete the dismantling of last year's division champion Coyotes - but it's uncertain just how much of a difference maker Doan would be in a Western Conference that should be as competitive as ever in 2012-13.
If Doan is looking for the best chance to win a Stanley Cup in 2013, he'll probably find it elsewhere. However, if he's looking to remain on the West Coast, he could do far worse than the Sharks.
