Shane Doan ‘ready to enter’ free agency after Coyotes decline to offer new contract

Doan spent the past 21 seasons playing for the Coyotes, but he’s going to be a free agent this summer.

Shane Doan may be heading to a new team next season after the Arizona Coyotes announced their decision not to offer him a contract on Monday. Doan’s agent, Terry Bross, told AZSports’ Craig Morgan that the 21-year NHL veteran is “ready to enter the free agent market” on July 1.

“Time for him to get a shot at the Cup,” Bross said.

Doan, 40, has been a lifer in Arizona, where he played the past two decades through constant change elsewhere in the franchise (including a move from Winnipeg to Arizona after his rookie season). Team captain for the past 14 seasons, he was the face of the franchise and a huge part of the community right until the very end.

That end came on Monday, when Coyotes owner Andrew Barroway issued a statement saying that the team would not offer Doan a new contract.

"After serious consideration, we have decided to not offer Shane Doan a contract for the upcoming season. The time has come for us to move on and to focus on our young, talented group of players and our very bright future. This was a very difficult decision given what Shane has done for the Coyotes and his unparalleled importance to the organization. With that said, this is necessary to move us forward as a franchise.

"On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to sincerely thank Shane for everything he's done for the Coyotes on and off the ice the past 21 years. Shane is a Valley icon who had an incredible career and was one of the best captains to ever play in the NHL.

"Shane deserves an enormous amount of credit for keeping the Coyotes in the Valley and for growing the game of hockey in Arizona. He is beloved by our fans, corporate partners and the media and has been a tremendous leader for us in the community, and a great role model for kids. We wish him and his family all the best in the future. He will be a member of our Pack forever."

Doan played the 2016-17 season with the Coyotes on a one-year, $4.84 million contract. He was coming off a strong 28-goal season at the time, but stumbled to just six goals and 21 assists in 74 games last season.

With his role diminishing and the Coyotes trying to move into a new era under GM John Chayka, they decided it was better to part ways now rather than bring him back for another season.

Doan, to his credit, seems to be trying his best to take the situation in stride. He praised Arizona fans on Monday after the news broke:

And now it appears he’s not ready to call it quits yet, either. One thing that always eluded Doan during his time in Arizona was a Stanley Cup. That seems to be priority No. 1 for the veteran winger now that he’s set to finally leave the rebuilding Coyotes. Expect someone to be willing to bring him in and try to help him scratch that one list big accomplishment off his list, assuming he indeed wants to continue his career.