Earlier than expected off-season gives Phoenix Coyotes' Shane Doan time to rest
One of the few upsides of an early off-season that the Coyotes can identify is extra time for captain Shane Doan to rest up.
Doan lost 12 games this season to Rocky Mountain fever and struggled to regain his performance level from before he contracted the bacterial disease.
"It's such a freak thing, and you'd never expect to go through something like that," he said. "Once you're back and playing, you're back and playing. You're wanting to contribute and help out more than I did, especially early on. When I came back, I wasn't very good. I think I'm getting better every day."
Mind you, Doan's production before he fell ill ranked among the best in his career. In 27 games played, he racked up 12 goals which tied for his second-best goal total through that stretch of games. Doan's best clip was 13 goals in 2008-09.
Mix in 11 assists, and Doan's 23 points tied for his third-best production through 27 games. In 2003-04, he was at a point-per-game pace with 27.
"It wasn't really only that it affected him in the time he missed, but it was the games that he came back," General Manager Don Maloney said. "Until the Olympic break, really, he was exhausted all the time."
Still, with 23 goals, Doan reached the 20-goal plateau for the 12th time in his career. And what's also encouraging is doctors have told Doan the initial symptoms — headaches, joint pain and extreme fatigue — won't return. Add in the fact he had sports hernia surgery last summer, and Doan is still confident in his abilities.
"I feel like I can skate again, and I'm looking forward to next year," he said.
Same spot
The NHL Draft Lottery was held Tuesday, and the Coyotes will select 12th overall this summer.
This is the second straight year the Coyotes grabbed the 12th pick. In 2013, the Coyotes added forward Max Domi at that number.
The Florida Panthers, who were slotted to pick second, won the lottery and moved up to the No. 1 spot, pushing the 30th-ranked Buffalo Sabres to No. 2.
Change is coming
Over draft weekend is when the Phoenix Coyotes will become the Arizona Coyotes.
Simple changes to the team's uniform are expected to reflect the name change, most notably the shoulder patch which is currently the shape of the state with "PHX" written inside.
President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said the ownership group will look at any other potential uniform changes for the future during next season, "but we've all been pretty adamant that we've been big fans of the current logo."
The team's current third jersey has been phased out, and the Coyotes will be wearing their inaugural jerseys for one game next season for a retro night.
On the books
LeBlanc anticipates knowing the team's financial outlook from last season by the end of June.
"We'll have at that time frame as well a fairly solid indication of what next year is looking like both on ticket sales as well as corporate sponsorships, which is very, very important for us," he said.
In the meantime, Maloney hasn't been given a budget for the upcoming season.
Key dates
The Stanley Cup playoffs start today. The NHL combine is hosted in Toronto May 25-31. The last possible day of the Stanley Cup finals is June 18.
The NHL Awards are June 25 in Las Vegas. The NHL draft is June 27-28 in Philadelphia. Free agency begins July 1.
The deadline for salary arbitration notification is July 5 (player-elected) and July 6 (club-elected). Salary arbitration hearings are held July 20-Aug. 6. The deadline for salary arbitration decisions is Aug. 8.
