Based on what the hockey world has heard regarding Shane Doan, the Buffalo Sabres are not on the short list of favorites to land the Phoenix Coyotes captain should he decide to leave the only franchise he's ever known.
Based on what former Coyotes star Jeremy Roenick has said, however, that hasn't stopped the Sabres from giving it the old college try.
Speaking with NHL Home Ice personality Josh Rimer on his NextSportStar.com radio show Monday night, Roenick said that the Sabres have made a big-money offer to Doan in the hopes of attracting him to western New York. Previous reports had the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks among the top teams on Doan's wish list, with the Coyotes still the favorites if Greg Jamison and his proposed ownership group are able to complete their purchase of the team.
Roenick played six seasons alongside Doan in Phoenix during his 20-year NHL career, including a five-year run from 1996 to 2001.
Rimer was intrigued by the possibility of a Doan-to-Buffalo move, posting on his Twitter account (@JoshRimerHockey), "If Doan doesn't re-sign with Phoenix, Sabres might be front runners." However, Sabres owner Terry Pegula and fans in Buffalo shouldn't get their hopes up.
The Sabres started the 2011-12 season with high expectations after an infusion of money from Pegula allowed general manager Darcy Regier to upgrade the roster. However, the Sabres wound up underachieving and missing the playoffs. Buffalo has made some intriguing moves this summer, including a trade with the Dallas Stars for Steve Ott and the signings of free agents Kevin Porter and John Scott, but this still isn't a team that's built for any kind of deep playoff run (The Hockey News has them projected to finish seventh in the East), and that's the sort of thing that's going to matter to Doan if he leaves Phoenix.
If Doan wants to collect a paycheck and not worry about where his team stands, he's perfectly capable of doing that in Phoenix. The Coyotes even won the Pacific Division and advanced to the Western Conference finals last season, and should continue to compete if Steve Sullivan can prove a suitable replacement for Ray Whitney. If Doan is going to leave Phoenix, it will likely be for a top contender. It's no coincidence that the three teams most prominently mentioned in Doan talks are the winner of the last two Presidents Trophies (Vancouver), the top finisher in the Eastern Conference last season (New York) and the home of the reigning Hart Trophy winner (Pittsburgh). The Nashville Predators, who finished fourth in the West last season, also believe themselves to be on the Doan short list, but that's about as low as Doan will go.
This is what happens with teams on the outside looking in. They don't have the kind of team that can attract a top free agent, so they look to compensate with money (possibly even the rumored four-year, $30 million offer that Doan's agent claims to have received). Sometimes, it even works. In this case, though, it's not going to happen.
