Shane Doan, Maple Leafs Mutually Part Ways
The Toronto Maple Leafs have mutually parted ways with special assistant Shane Doan per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Doan’s contract in Toronto was set to expire on June 30. He was originally hired by former Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving in 2023 and will step away before he has a chance to work alongside new general manager John Chayka.
Chayka took over the Arizona Coyotes general manager role in 2016, at the record-setting age of 26. Doan was the team’s star, having spent the last 12 seasons as the Coyotes’ captain. He was 40 years old entering the 2016-17 season and had lost the spark of his previous peak. That was proved when Doan only managed 27 points in 74 games – a mark that was deemed too low to re-sign him through his 40s despite Doan’s desire to keep playing, per ESPN. Arizona sought a trade through the season but, when no offers came through, Doan made the decision to retire in 2017.
Doan was hired as Arizona’s Director of Hockey Administration in 2020. He continued on in that role until the Coyotes were relocated to Utah following the 2022-23 season. The Coyotes’ move opened the door for Doan to grow his roots in NHL front offices. He moved into a Maple Leafs advisory role left vacant when Jason Spezza joined Kyle Dubas in a move to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Spezza has since taken on an assistant general manager and AHL general manager role with the Penguins.
Those could be the roles next in line for Doan, who will now be a managerial free agent amid a lot of change in NHL front offices. He could find a chance to move back to the NHL’s Pacific Division with vacancies in the Seattle Kraken or Vancouver Canucks front offices. Doan also played five seasons with current Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere and could bring invaluable experience as Philadelphia looks to repeat their playoff berth this season.
Evening Notes: Doan, Pascall, Kostin
Last week, reports emerged that the Toronto Maple Leafs had granted permission to the Vancouver Canucks to interview Shane Doan for an unknown role. However, even if a deal between Doan and the Canucks doesn’t come to fruition, he may leave Toronto anyway.
John Chayka, the former General Manager of the Arizona Coyotes, is widely considered to be one of the finalists for the Maple Leafs’ GM vacancy. On yesterday’s edition of DFO Rundown, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period shared that if Toronto hires Chayka as the organization’s next General Manager, Doan has little interest in staying around.
Much of the turmoil between the two likely stems from Doan’s exit from the Coyotes after the 2016-17 season. It was Chayka’s first as Arizona’s General Manager, and the team abruptly decided to let him leave via free agency, although Doan would ultimately retire. Though there were certainly arguments from an on-ice perspective that the Coyotes had little use for a soon-to-be 41-year-old forward who was struggling to produce, it was the cause of consternation for many fans who felt the franchise’s greatest player had been given the cold shoulder to end his professional career.
Additional evening notes:
- While the Maple Leafs may be nearing the conclusion of their GM search, the Canucks are not. Still in the interview process with several candidates, another has joined the fray today, as TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Vancouver has interviewed Brad Pascall, the Assistant General Manager of the Calgary Flames. If the Canucks were to offer him the position, it would be a major milestone in Pascall’s career, since he’s been the Flames’ Assistant General Manager since the 2014-15 season and has never worked for another NHL organization.
- A former up-and-coming prospect with the St. Louis Blues is staying in the KHL for a few more seasons. According to William Espy of The Hockey News, forward Klim Kostin has signed a three-year extension with the KHL’s CSKA Moskva. It’s somewhat surprising, given Kostin’s return performance in the KHL this season, scoring two goals and five points in 31 games between CSKA and Avangard Omsk.
Canucks Granted Permission From Leafs To Speak With Shane Doan
The Vancouver Canucks are continuing to seek out new names for their front office. Their latest candidate could come from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Vancouver has requested permission to speak with Toronto special advisor Shane Doan position per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It was later reported that permission was granted per John Shannon of 100% Hockey.
It is not yet clear what position Vancouver sees Doan stepping into. Doan has filled a GM advisory role in Toronto for the last three seasons, after three seasons as the Director of Hockey Administration with his alumni Arizona Coyotes.
Doan has not yet filled a GM role at the NHL or AHL level but the job is not unfamiliar. He served as Team Canada’s GM at the 2022 Winter Olympics, World Championship, and Spengler Cup. Canada won a Silver Medal at the World Championship but did not reach the podium at the other two events . Doan was also an assistant GM at the 2019 Spengler Cup, 2021 World Championship, and 2023 World Championship. Canada won the Spengler Cup and two Golds at the World Championship in those tournaments.
Doan is much more known for his accomplishments as a player. He was originally drafted by the Winnipeg Jets and played his NHL rookie season in the team’s final season before moving to Phoenix. Doan became a star in the desert, routinely rivaling 50 points and 50 penalty minutes each season. He was quickly one of the team’s most reliable forwards and took on a top-line role next to hockey legends Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk in his early career. He did not leave that role through the final 20 years of his career, all spent with the Coyotes franchise. Doan was awarded the Coyotes’ captaincy in 2003 and carried it until he retired in 2017. He called his career to a close with the most games (1,540), goals (402), assists (570), and points (972) in Coyotes history. Doan’s son, Josh Doan, was drafted by Arizona in 2021 – but has since been traded to the Buffalo Sabres. Doan’s wife, Andrea Doan, was named to the Phoenix Hockey Exploratory Committee – a group geared towards returning NHL hockey to Phoenix – in September.
How the Vancouver Canucks see Doan fitting in is not clear but there is no doubt about his rich experience in NHL and international hockey. He has now served six seasons in NHL front offices and could fit in a variety of assistant, advisory, or development roles. Before they can brainstorm around a job title, Vancouver will first need to get permission from the Maple Leafs, who may see Doan as a helpful support to their own search for a new GM.
Andrea Doan Named Chair Of Phoenix Hockey Exploratory Committee
Working to bring hockey back to the desert, Craig Morgan of the Arizona Insider reports that Andrea Doan, wife of Shane Doan, will lead the new exploratory committee, hoping to bring professional hockey back to Maricopa County. In early January, Board of Supervisors Chair Tom Galvin shared his desire to create the committee to bring hockey back to Phoenix.
Saying it best, Morgan wrote, “If there were a royal family of Arizona hockey, the Doans would hold that title.” While many anticipated Shane’s involvement, he is likely unable to participate in a formal capacity due to his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a special assistant to the General Manager. Instead, Andrea will be the formal head of the family’s interests in bringing another team to Arizona.
In the report, Andrea acknowledged as much, saying, “Whatever Shane and I do we are always doing together anyway, but his commitment right now is to Toronto. So is mine, but this is sort of a separate entity; just working with the NHL and trying to bring the organization back to Phoenix where it belongs and where it can thrive and succeed.”
The exploratory committee faces a challenging task ahead. The group is burdened with finding a committed ownership group and finding suitable land to build upon in Phoenix. Over the past year, Mat Ishbia, the majority owner of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has been the sole candidate to express interest in returning hockey to the desert.
If the exploratory finds a suitable candidate, they won’t have any hurdles to clear with the most recent franchise owner in Phoenix. In mid-July of last year, Alex Meruelo dissolved the Coyotes’ intellectual property, which is now owned and operated by the NHL.
Commissioner Gary Bettman has said in the past that the league won’t play favorites when it comes to potential future expansion, although it may have been a bit tongue-in-cheek. Ownership groups have emerged in Houston, TX, and Atlanta, GA, but the NHL, particularly under Bettman’s leadership, has consistently aimed to sustain hockey in Phoenix.
Regardless, the group has a long way to go to return an NHL franchise to Arizona. Still, given the Doan’s deep roots in the community, they should have no issue growing sentiment and excitement in the public to sway the NHL’s leadership to give hockey in Phoenix another opportunity.
Metro Notes: Smith, Crosby, Shaw, Shanahan
David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins have contacted coach D.J. Smith regarding their head coaching vacancy. Smith, an associate coach with the Los Angeles Kings, has reportedly interviewed for multiple head coaching vacancies around the league.
It hasn’t been long since he’s been a head coach. Smith was the head coach of the Ottawa Senators from the 2019-20 season until he was fired on December 18 of last year. He finished his tenure in Ottawa with a 131-154-32 record in 317 games without ever leading the team to the postseason. Under Smith’s stewardship, the Senators never finished higher than 18th in GF or 20th in GA.
According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, it doesn’t sound like captain Sidney Crosby will have much say in the Penguins’ next choice for head coach, but that’s by choice. When pressed on why he didn’t want a say in the process, Crosby replied, “Because, ultimately, I’m a hockey player. I’m not out there coaching games. I am not a manager.” The 20-year veteran clarified his statement further, saying, “If he wants my opinion on someone who’s out there, and someone who is out there that I might have had as a coach before or someone I’ve heard about, then sure, then I’ll share my opinion.”
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Although the Philadelphia Flyers ultimately hired Rick Tocchet as their next head coach, their most recent head coach was one of the finalists. Pagnotta reported that now-former interim head coach Brad Shaw was nearly hired for the full-time job, and there’s a possibility he remains on Tocchet’s staff as an assistant. Shaw guided the Flyers to a 5-3-1 record in their final nine games of the 2024-25 NHL season.
- According to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple, Brendan Shanahan could be a name to look out for regarding the New York Islanders’ President of Hockey Operations and General Manager vacancies. Shanahan has served as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ President since the 2014-15 season, and his contract expires on June 30th this summer. Should Toronto fail to reach the Stanley Cup Final or Eastern Conference Final, Staple believes the Islanders could encourage Shanahan to make a lateral move to the East Coast, and hire Toronto’s special assistant to the General Manager, Shane Doan, as their next General Manager.
Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Derek Clancey
The Toronto Maple Leafs have filled out their front office, hiring former Vancouver Canucks executive Derek Clancey as assistant general manager with a player personnel specialty today, according to a team release.
Vancouver announced Clancey’s departure just minutes before Toronto picked him up. In Toronto, the 54-year-old executive reunites with general manager Brad Treliving, with whom he served as a pro scout in 2021-22 while both were members of the Calgary Flames.
Toronto is now Clancey’s third team in as many seasons, but don’t take that as a poor reflection on his career resume. Joining the NHL ranks in 2007, he was a part of the Pittsburgh Penguins front office for all four of their Stanley Cup Final appearances in 2008, 2019, 2015, and 2016, first as a pro scout before transitioning to their director of professional scouting.
Clancey is the third major addition/replacement in Toronto’s front office this season, joining Treliving and special assistant to the GM Shane Doan as the new faces among Maple Leafs’ executives. His focus with Toronto will undoubtedly be on pro talent evaluation, and his input will be highly sought after when discussing potential trades, waiver claims, or free agent signings.
Canucks general manager Jim Rutherford later released a statement, confirming Vancouver would not pursue a replacement for Clancey and will collectively replace his role among the other assistant general managers.
Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Shane Doan
June 9: Toronto has officially named Doan as a special advisor to Treliving.
June 8: The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to name current Arizona Coyotes executive Shane Doan as an assistant to newly-hired general manager Brad Treliving, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports Thursday afternoon.
Doan replaces the outgoing Jason Spezza, who served as a special assistant to the GM under the previous Kyle Dubas regime. Spezza put in his resignation with the Leafs after they announced they were not re-signing Dubas to a new contract.
It is surprising to see Doan leave Arizona after spending his entire playing career with the Coyotes. However, given that the future of the club is up in the air it makes sense for Doan to move on to a high profile position in which someone he knows is at the helm. Doan becomes one of Treliving’s first hires as he begins to build out the Maple Leafs management hierarchy. The two men do have history together as Treliving served as assistant general manager during Doan’s playing days in Arizona.
Doan has always been a representation of stability through the turmoil within the Coyotes organization. He stuck around through a franchise relocation, threats of relocation, ownership changes, and financial peril. Now he finds himself in perhaps the most stable franchise in hockey with an excellent opportunity to build out his career in management.
Snapshots: Memorial Cup, Spengler Cup, Hanus
The CHL has officially announced the four clubs that have submitted applications to host the 2024 Memorial Cup. The Kingston Frontenacs, Niagara IceDogs, Saginaw Spirit, and Soo Greyhounds will send in bids before the deadline in January, with the winning club announced in March.
The tournament is moved through the leagues each year, meaning it was only open to OHL bids for 2024. The 2023 tournament will be held in Kamloops, British Columbia.
- Team Canada has its leadership for the Spengler Cup decided, with Shane Doan managing the roster and Travis Green taking head coaching duties, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Green is still under contract with the Vancouver Canucks, though he hasn’t coached since being fired in the middle of 2021-22.
- The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have parted ways with Clay Hanus, as the undrafted defenseman has decided to leave pro hockey and accept the education package given by his former junior club. Hanus had only played two games – both at the ECHL level – since signing an AHL deal in the summer.
Offseason Notes: Hurricanes, Lundqvist, Doan
Although player transactions rightfully take up most of the attention in the offseason, a team’s additions to their coaching staff and hockey operations department can also play a significant role in whether the organization finds success. Today, the Carolina Hurricanes made three additions to their hockey operations department. The team hired Earl Schwartz as a compliance assistant, and Ellen Etchingham and Sidney Morin were named professional scouts.
Schwartz’s title may not make his role on the Hurricanes immediately clear, but based on the team’s description, it seems his work will revolve around the salary cap. The two new professional scouts the team hired, Etchingham and Morin, both have extensive experience in hockey. Etchingham, who Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek called “one of the smartest people” he’s ever met, has written about hockey since 2007, while Morin is a player for the Minnesota Whitecaps of the PHF and an Olympic Gold Medalist.
Now, for some other news from across the NHL:
- It wasn’t long ago that Henrik Lundqvist was the on-ice face of the New York Rangers, and now in retirement, he’s positioned himself to be the off-ice face of the franchise. Today the Rangers announced that Lundqvist has joined Madison Square Garden in a “unique new role that helps support business operations for each company.” Lundqvist will continue his work as a studio analyst for Rangers broadcasts on MSG Network, as well as work in various roles across Madison Square Garden ranging from alumni relations to the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
- While the Rangers’ franchise icon is doubling down on his involvement with the organization, the Arizona Coyotes’ face of their franchise is heading in a different direction. Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Shane Doan is taking a “step back” from his role as Chief Hockey Development Officer for the Coyotes. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports added some context to this move, stating that Doan still “wants to be in hockey ops somewhere” but it likely won’t be with the Coyotes. Of note is the fact that Doan’s son, Josh Doan, was drafted 37th overall by Arizona at the 2021 NHL draft and is currently the captain of the Arizona State Sun Devils hockey team.
Snapshots: Nash, Predators, Deslauriers
The oft-overlooked IIHF Men’s World Championship is drawing near, and Hockey Canada has added another former player and budding management star to the fold. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the organization has added Rick Nash as an assistant general manager, supplementing Shane Doan. Nash has three seasons of managerial experience now, all in his former stomping grounds in Columbus. After serving two seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21) as a special assistant to the general manager, he was named director of player development this season in addition to having his number retired by the organization. The tournament begins on May 13th.
Elsewhere from the NHL tonight:
- Injury trouble continues for the Nashville Predators as they try to solidify a Wild Card spot. Defenseman Mark Borowiecki is again marred by injury, with an upper-body ailment holding him out tonight, as well as Matt Luff, who sits with a non-COVID illness. Both have been used sparingly when in the lineup this season, but Borowiecki is still a valuable role player who’s still managed to get into 47 games this year despite injury. Luff, after tearing up the AHL with 31 points in 30 games, has six points in 21 games with the Predators.
- Instant fan-favorite Nicolas Deslauriers returns to the Minnesota Wild tonight after missing the team’s last two games. Deslauriers is averaging a penalty minute per game during his 10-game tenure in Minnesota, and he’s contributed two goals as well. The 31-year-old has looked like a natural fit in the team’s bottom-six forward group, adding a physical edge to an already gritty group of forwards.