While there is no doubt that Shane Doan is a smart addition to the Toronto Maple Leafs front office, it still raises questions.
Bringing in the Arizona Coyotes legend could easily be chalked up to a number of thoughts patterns by new Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager, Brad Treliving.
It could simply be that bringing in a small-town Alberta guy is exactly what this group needs in terms of learning some lessons about work ethic and the general notion of not simply being handed things.
It could be that Treliving saw enough in his playing days to believe that Shane Doan’s hard-nosed approach back then might somehow rub off on this group.
Or it could be something else entirely.
Toronto Maple Leafs May Have One Key Goal For Shane Doan
It’s not lost on anyone that this year is Austin Matthews contract year and that the Toronto Maple Leafs latest front office hire is his childhood hero.
After all, Matthews grew up a fan of the Arizona Coyotes when Shane Doan was in his NHL heyday; it’s little wonder that he was his hero in terms of players.
Adding Shane Doan to their staff could very easily be viewed simply as a ploy to convince Matthews to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Certainly, it’s plausible and the Leafs likely wouldn’t be averse to paying an extra salary if it meant they kept their superstar center.
However, I think it possibly has more to do with Doan’s previous role in Arizona as Head of Player Development, with Brad Treliving realizing that this group needs cheap reinforcements.
Star amongst the current prospect pool is another Arizona native that knows Doan, namely Matthew Knies, who shone in his post-season debut for the Leafs.
Treliving will know that to maintain this group long-term as a contender, player development is beyond key. In fact, it arguably is the most important piece of the puzzle.
As such, while it’s nice to philosiphise that Shane Doan is a hire solely to appease Austin Matthews, you have to imagine his hiring is about far, far more than that.
It feels like it’s a change of playing style philosophy coming from the top – the need to add a grittier element might well trickle down if Doan can influence it.
If he can get the team to up their work ethic too and play full 60 minute games, then the Leafs are onto an absolute winner – they did finish in the top tier in the regular season, it’s not much more they ended to push them into that top seeded spot.
Whether or not Shane Doan can exert any less or more influence than Jason Spezza, the previous incumbent in this Assistant to the General Manager type role, only time will tell.