Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press confirmed on Monday that the Jets are in discussions with Shane Doan about a potential management role with the club.
According to McIntyre, Doan was in Winnipeg last week meeting with co-owner and chairman Mark Chipman while also touring the team’s facilities. Nothing is official yet, as discussions remain in the exploratory stage.
Adding Doan to management would mark a significant change for the organization. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and his assistants, Larry Simmons and Craig Heisinger, have held their positions since the franchise relocated from Atlanta in 2011.
The Winnipeg market is already familiar with Doan, who made his NHL debut with the original Jets in 1995. He appeared in 74 games before the franchise relocated to Phoenix. Doan would go on to play 1,466 additional games, all with the Coyotes organization, before retiring in 2017.
He later returned to the Coyotes in 2021 as chief hockey development officer, a position he held for two seasons before joining Toronto’s front office.
Doan is also a minority owner of his former junior team, the Kamloops Blazers (WHL), having purchased a share of the franchise in 2007 alongside fellow NHL players Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi, and Darryl Sydor.
Bringing Doan into the organization’s management group would be a solid move. After missing the playoffs, the Jets could benefit from a fresh perspective, and the former long-time Coyotes captain may be able to provide exactly that.
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