Shane Doan may be a little long in the tooth, but he's still a quality player who brings a lot to the Coyotes lineup, in terms of both ability and leadership.
The long-time Arizona Captain's Coyote days could be numbered though, as a recent rumor from Eklund of Hockeybuzz.com has several teams sniffing around a potential trade for his services.
A source close to the Phoenix situation tells me that at least 4 teams are currently considering making a deadline pitch for Shane Doan. Two of those teams are believed to be Pittsburgh, Calgary, and the Islanders... the fourth may be Toronto...but I only had one source who admitted it to be more speculative than rumor as far as Toronto is concerned.
The 38-year-old Doan has proven both reliable and resilient in his 18-plus year NHL career, though the last two years saw him participate in the fewest games of his professional life since the mid 90's.
Even playing in only 69 games last season, he still managed 47 points. He's currently got seven goals and nine assists in 28 games.
He's big, strong on the puck and, should his body hold up, seems like the kind of guy who could play well into his 40's.
The Penguins have been rumored to want to add a top-six forward with scoring ability for some time. Evgeni Malkin's second line is desperately in need of a player with a straightforward game who can make the right plays and finish when necessary.
The Islanders are very young and would benefit almost as much from Doan's veteran presence in the locker room as they would from his presence on the ice. Then again, a consistent 20-goal scorer is nothing to scoff at.
As for Calgary, they've been the surprise of the season after most dubbed them DOA. Their possession numbers are pretty weak though, as is their shooting percentage, so the addition of a strong, calming influence like Doan could help strengthen their unexpected playoff bid.
