If nothing else, the speculation concerning Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan has been a nice refresher from news of the NHL's collective bargaining talks.
With the very real prospect that we won't have NHL hockey to watch in October, the thought of Doan playing NHL games anywhere is a great distraction to have (although one that will ultimately prove meaningless if there is indeed a lockout on September 15). As a result, even the minor and/or older items generate interest, like Jeremy Roenick's mention of a big-money offer to Doan from the Buffalo Sabres that was actually reported weeks ago.
Through all the speculation, however, the focus has remained on three teams - the New York Rangers, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vancouver Canucks - who had been reported as being on Doan's short list by Larry Brooks of the New York Post. Brooks is as good a reporter as there is covering a team today, and wouldn't report information that didn't come from a reliable source, but even a good source can be wrong, so it's entirely possible that Doan could be considering other teams...like the Los Angeles Kings, for example, as two SWR readers have pointed out in comments on the Buffalo offer.
There's certainly a lot to like about the Kings as a destination for Doan. The reigning Stanley Cup Champions return every player of note from last season, and should be a stronger team during the regular season than they were during 2011-12 (if they can avoid a Cup hangover). According to CapGeek.com, the Kings have a little less than $7.9 million in salary cap space, which is more than enough to sign Doan, particularly when the two-way contracts of Kyle Clifford and Jordan Nolan can slide to the AHL if need be. They're even close enough to Phoenix that Doan would be able to see his family on a reasonably regular basis if his wife and children (ages 13, 10, 8 and 5) stay there.
On the other hand, the Kings might be too close to Phoenix.
When Zach Parise was the subject of free agent speculation back in June, he immediately ruled out a move to the New York Rangers. As it turned out, he had good reason to sign with the Minnesota Wild, between the opportunity to play close to home, the chance to team up with good friend Ryan Suter, and of course, the big-money contract he landed. However, it was noteworthy that Parise was so quick to rule out the Rangers, and it could certainly have had something to do with the years he'd spent considering the Rangers his most bitter rivals, and a certain loyalty to the Devils franchise that believed in him when 16 other NHL teams didn't at the 2003 draft.
The same might not quite be true of the Coyotes and the Kings - not many NHL rivalries can match the intensity of Rangers-Devils - but given that the Coyotes are the only NHL franchise that Doan has ever played for, there would be something not quite right about suiting up for a longtime division rival, particularly after a hard-fought Western Conference Finals series that had Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith suggesting that Kings captain Dustin Brown be "done forever" after a questionable hit on Michal Rozsival.
There's obviously a great deal of loyalty that Doan feels to the Coyotes organization, as evidenced by his seemingly endless patience with Greg Jamison and his proposed ownership group. Could that loyalty keep the Kings off of his short list? It's entirely possible, although it's hard to imagine Doan putting loyalty to the Coyotes ahead of family time, particularly if he's seeking a four-year contract.
Maybe the Kings are on Doan's short list, and maybe they're not. Until he signs somewhere, all we can do is keep our ears to the ground and keep speculating.
Beats thinking about a lockout.
