How much more patience can Doan afford with Coyotes?
As the Coyotes opened the preseason on Monday at Gila River Arena against the Los Angeles Kings, it was tempting to ponder the divergent paths these franchises have taken since they met in the Western Conference Final in 2012.
Since L.A. won that series, it has raised two Stanley Cups and become the model for franchise building in non-traditional hockey markets. Since Phoenix lost that series, it hasn't been back to the postseason.
You can bet that doesn't sit well with the team's icon, captain Shane Doan. And you have to wonder how long he will be content with a team now committed to infusing youth.
Doan will turn 38 one day after Arizona's regular season begins on Oct. 9 against the Winnipeg Jets. He has two years left on his current deal with the Coyotes and he spent more time training this offseason than he ever has in an effort to get back to that torrid pace he was on last season before he contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
But if he serves out his current deal, will he ever have the opportunity to go somewhere else and compete for a Cup at age 40?
"At some point he's going to have to say, 'Listen this is my deadline coming up,'" former teammate Ray Whitney said. "Even if he's got two years left on his deal, you can take two years away from the franchise and always come back."
When that unprecedented Coyotes playoff run was complete in 2012, Doan became a free agent and had numerous opportunities to leave. The ownership situation was still in limbo, but he believed that when it was resolved, things would change, so he signed a four-year deal.
When IceArizona finally took over in August of 2013 after Greg Jamison's bid to buy the team failed, Doan was sure the dog days of the franchise had finally passed. He figured the 2014 offseason might feel a little different than the lean-spending years of the past.
Instead, the vast majority of the Western Conference's playoff teams bolstered their ranks with major additions while the Coyotes let forward Radim Vrbata walked in free agency despite a willingness to take less than he received from Vancouver. That came soon after the team bought out center Mike Ribeiro.
"There are certain things that catch you off guard every single summer," Doan said. "I would love for us to have spent to the cap this year and be a cap team. But we're not and it doesn't really change my approach as a player."
That's as close as you'll get to a public complaint from Doan. Think of him as Larry Fitzgerald without the dad who likes Twitter. Instead of griping about another year spent toiling just to make the playoffs, Doan got his mind right and quickly adopted the message emanating from all corners of the franchise.
He loves the character in the locker room this season, he raves about the team's blue line and goaltending, and he is intrigued by the potential of newly acquired forward Sam Gagner.
"To look around and see what everybody else in the West has done, that should be inconsequential. We've got to get our game together and I think Shane recognizes that," coach Dave Tippett said. "We missed the playoffs by two points last year; by (four) the year before. Our success from two years ago was about how well we did things together, how hard we played as a team and strong goaltending. Those were things we lacked last year."
There's no debating those points. But here's what's wide open for debate: Even if the Coyotes regain their former identity, there's no guarantee they'll even make the playoffs in a conference that is vastly improved over the one in which this franchise advanced to the conference finals.
"It's not getting any easier," Doan said. "I thought the West was so strong last year. There were some significant moves that helped teams. We're going to have to be better."
What happens if the Coyotes are not? What about that biological NHL clock that's ticking inside Doan -- the one that has likely expired for Whitney at age 42?
"There's no way at this point in my career I'm not thinking about what's going on in the future but I want to win, and I want to win with this team because it would mean so much more," Doan said.
But if the latter opportunity does not present itself, nobody should blame the most loyal guy in franchise history if he requests a two-year hall pass.
"I know he's quite content here and who knows, maybe he wants to play his entirety here, but I'll tell you what: it's worth it to go win and then maybe come right back," said Whitney, who won a Cup with Carolina in 2006. "It's worth it to get that taste just once. Believe me, it's really worth it."
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