This isn’t how Shane Doan saw things playing out.
When Arizona’s captain re-signed with the Coyotes in 2012, rebuffing numerous suitors to commit to the financially-troubled franchise through 2015-16, he said he was “very excited about our team” and that he “chose to stay with the Coyotes because I am committed to winning here,” not anywhere else.
Well, fast forward two and a half years and the Coyotes are on their way to missing the playoffs for the third straight season, and they just traded away key veterans Keith Yandle and Antoine Vermette.
Meanwhile, Arizona GM Don Maloney has been talking about completely revamping the roster, saying how new owner Andrew Barroway “wants to build for the long term” and “understands that there is some suffering involved” to build a sustainable winner.
So, where does that leave Doan?
“It was not my idea, not my ideal situation,” he said, per azcentral’s Sarah McLellan. “There’s no one that’s 38 years old that thinks it’s a good idea, ‘Let’s rebuild.’”
Doan also said he’s only thinking about the rest of the current season, not his future beyond that.
Which, despite what he’s said in the past, makes one wonder if he’d be open to a trade in the offseason.