Coyotes GM: Shane Doan is only untouchable player on roster
Shane Doan is the only player on the Arizona Coyotes roster that is considered untouchable going into the NHL trade deadline.
By
Adam Gretz
•
1 min read
Given their place in the standings and the contract situation of many of their veteran players, we already know that the Arizona Coyotes are going to be one of the teams in the "sellers" category when it comes to the NHL trade deadline. It's just a matter of how much they are willing to sell, and how deep they want to go in this imminent rebuild.
On Friday, general manager Don Maloney appeared on TSN radio in Ottawa and pretty much admitted that he would be willing to trade any player on the roster if the right deal came along with one notable exception -- veteran forward Shane Doan.
Doan, the long-time face of the franchise, is happy in Arizona and seems to have no interest moving on at this stage of his career.
On one hand, no general manager should approach their team with the idea that too many players -- if any -- are untouchable in trade talks. Every player has a value and every GM has a price that they can't reasonably turn down. But there are always some guys that are on a different level, what makes this so interesting is Maloney's admission that a player like All-Star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson could be had if the price was right.
Granted, that price would have be astronomically high given Ekman-Larsson's age, skill level, and the fact he's already a top-pairing defenseman in the NHL, but that is the type of guy every other NHL team should be picking up the phone and making an offer for. The same is true for fellow defenseman Keith Yandle. They are both extremely productive and signed to long-term deals on cap-friendly contracts.
I still think chances are that when the NHL trade deadline has passed this season Yandle and Ekman-Larsson will still be with the Coyotes, not only because trades of that magnitude are usually best saved for the offseason, but also becaus even if a team is rebuilding it still needs somebody that can play at an NHL level and players that it can build around. And guys like Ekman-Larsson and Yandle would definitely qualify. Top-pairing defensemen are incredibly hard to find, and when you do find them, they cost a ton of money.
