The Leafs are adding Shane Doan to their front office: report

New Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving is shaping up his staff.

According to ESPN and NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes, the Leafs are adding former Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan to their front office.

**Breaking News ** 🚨 📰
I’m told @MapleLeafs are naming Shane Doan as an Assistant to Treliving. @espn @NHL @NHLNetwork @TSNHockey @DKSportsbook #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/z7GhkrldKw

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 8, 2023

Doan had worked for the Coyotes since 2021 as their chief hockey development officer. According to his Coyotes bio, Doan’s old position saw him “support the club’s business and hockey operations departments and be consulted on all major club decisions and initiatives.”

As a player, Doan played 21 seasons in the NHL, all of which were for the Coyotes and Winnipeg Jets before their move to Arizona.

He had 402 goals and 570 assists in 1,540 regular season games, while making the playoffs nine times. He was the NHL’s longest-serving captain during the course of his career, wearing the “C” for the Coyotes from 2003 until his retirement in 2017.

The reported move has led to speculation that perhaps it’s a ploy to keep Toronto superstar Auston Matthews on the Leafs on a long-term deal, with Doan being a key piece of the Coyotes teams he used to watch as a child while growing up in Arizona.

Thank you for everything you’ve done for hockey in Arizona and inspiring kids like me growing up playing the game in the valley. Congratulations on your jersey retirement Doaner ! So well deserved. 👊 pic.twitter.com/bQ092XXPbx

— Auston Matthews (@AM34) February 24, 2019

However, seeing the state of the Coyotes franchise amid uncertainty they’ll even stay in Arizona, it doesn’t seem like Matthews leaving in free agency in the summer of 2024 for his childhood team is a real threat at this point in time.

Doan’s best career success came as a member of the Canadian national team, winning the 2004 World Cup as well as the 2003 and 2007 IIHF World Championships.

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