Coyotes will not offer Shane Doan a contract for next season

GLENDALE, ARIZONA --- The Arizona Coyotes announced Monday that they will not offer Shane Doan a contract for next season.

"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," Coyotes Owner, Chairman and Governor Andrew Barroway said in a statement Monday. 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."

The last NHL player remaining from the original Winnipeg Jets, Shane Doan was selected with the No. 7 pick by the Jets in the 1995 NHL Draft, one year before the team relocated to Arizona to become the Phoenix Coyotes.

Doan was part of back-to-back Memorial Cup-winning teams with Kamloops of the Western Hockey League in 1993-94 and 1994-95. In the 1995 Memorial Cup, Doan won the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP.

He jumped right to the NHL and had seven goals and 17 points in 74 games in 1995-96, when he was named the Jets' rookie of the year. Doan also made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut that spring, playing all six games of Winnipeg's first-round loss against the Detroit Red wings. Two springs later, Doan scored his first playoff goal, also against the Red Wings.

Doan's play steadily improved and in 1999-2000 he had his first 20-goal season; he was second on the Coyotes in both goals (26) and points (51). He also led the Coyotes with 225 hits and 221 shots. Doan was one of three NHL players to have 200 hits and 200 shots that season.

That would be the first of nine straight seasons of 20 or more goals for Doan. From 2003-04 to 2010-11, he led the Coyotes in scoring every season. He was selected to his first NHL All-Star Game in 2003-04 and led the Coyotes in goals (27), assists (41), points (68) and shots (254) that season. He was also named captain of the team in 2003-04.

In 2005-06 Doan had the first 30-goal season of his NHL career, and led the Coyotes in points (66), hits (154) and penalty minutes (123). He scored his 200th NHL goal Oct. 27, 2007, against the Dallas Stars and finished the 2007-08 season with a team-high 78 points, his first time with more than 70 points in the NHL.

Selected to his second NHL All-Star Game in 2008-09, Doan had 31 goals and 73 points that season. He was awarded the King Clancy Trophy for leadership and humanitarian contributions in 2009-10. In 2011-12, he won the Mark Messer NHL Leadership Award.

Doan broke Dale Hawerchuk's franchise record of 379 career goals Dec. 31, 2015, when he scored twice against the Jets, of all teams. He surpassed Hawerchuk's franchise points mark (929) Feb. 12, 2016, against the Calgary Flames.