Dear Mr. Shane Doan

It’s 9 days into the NHL Free Agency and there’s still plenty of big names out on the market waiting to find a team and there’s more than a few on the trading block waiting to be moved.  The slow burn of the free agency has allowed everyone to really analyze who is out there and what their value is; it’s also giving a chance for players to overvalue themselves.  And no I’m not talking about Scott Howson and Rick Nash. 

Dear Mr.  Shane Doan, 

I get that you’re “testing the market”.  Shopping around for the best contract.  And really, I don’t blame you.  But you’re about 5 years too late.  At the start of the 2012-2012 season, you’ll be 36 years old.  This is not a slight at your talents sir, no one is discounting the fact that you had a 50 point season last year, and a 60 point season the year before.  Those are amazing numbers, at any age.  But let’s be real.  Teams are looking to invest in the future. Long term contracts have been the trend this summer, and even the “shorter” contracts put you between 38 and 41 years old.

Yes, there are plenty of players still in the NHL in their 40s and yes, player safety is only getting better with each passing year (leading to longer careers) but I don’t think that every “great” player is going to start pushing that 40 year barrier.  Bodies break down.  Fact of life.  Guys like Marty Brodeur, Teemu Selanne, and Jaromir Jagr are exceptions, not the rules to professional sports.  

I get that testing the market lets you weigh your options for winning the Cup, Mr. Doan.  But I’d believe you far more if your team wasn’t in constant danger of being moved.  Again.  Jumping ship?  Why didn’t you think about this last time your contract was up in the summer of 2007?  You’re closer to winning a Stanley Cup with the Coyotes now than you ever were.  

And I understand that these “jumping ship” accusations come from someone who is nowhere near your biggest fan, but really.  Why now?  What’s changed in these past 5 years that has you testing free agency?  You’ve always been touted as the one who’s stuck through it all: relocating from Winnipeg to Glendale, years of rumors about being folded or moved, lack of ownership and incompetent ownership, and even the drama of the players out on the ice.   You’ve always stood by your franchise, Mr. Doan, but not now.  Now, when the team is so desperately in need of a leader.  Now, when the future of the team is up in the air and players are uncertain about their future.  And now, more than ever, when Coyotes got a taste of the Conference Finals, you decided it’s time to consider “taking [your] talents” elsewhere.  

Tammy Wynette sang “Stand By Your Man” and now I urge you, stand by your team, man.  Don’t leave now.  Finish your career as a Phoenix Coyote, Mr. Doan.  

All the best in your summer, 

Cait Monster