Two cornerstone members of the Arizona Coyotes organization — captain Shane Doan and head coach Dave Tippett — are both committed to returning next season, the team announced Tuesday.
There had been some doubt about their respective futures after a frustrating 56-point season. Neither man is interested in a lengthy rebuild, but they are apparently satisfied enough with the direction of the franchise to remain in Arizona another year.
Doan has been a fixture with the Coyotes since the organization moved south from Winnipeg in 1996 and has one year remaining on his $5.252-million contract. The 38-year-old is running short on time to win a Stanley Cup, but won’t chase one now by requesting a trade.
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As for Tippett, he has three years left on his deal but didn’t take the losing well. The veteran coach has rarely had a team finish with a record below .500 and voiced his displeasure at the conclusion of the year.
“I can’t see myself doing that again,” Tippett said in April. “Losing kills you enough, but when you’re not as competitive as you need to be, that’s even more frustrating.”
The Coyotes intend to be extremely active in the off-season and have an internal mandate to spend more money. They also have a promising group of prospects that includes Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and whoever they draft with the No. 3 pick later this month.
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“We know we’ve got to make some moves,” co-owner Anthony LeBlanc told Sportsnet recently. “We’ve got to pick up a player or two, we’ve got to add some veteran depth, and that’s going to cost some money. … Look at what Ottawa and Calgary were able to accomplish this year, that’s exactly the model we’re looking at. How do we add those couple of pieces and continue to have that really good prospect pool and young players?”
They’ll have a better chance with Doan and Tippett still in the fold.
