St. Louis Blues Should Not Sign Shane Doan

The St. Louis Blues pretty much have their roster set going into the 2017-18 season. However, some people are never pleased enough and want another body thrown into the mix.

The St. Louis Blues are not likely looking for anyone else to put on their 2017-18 roster, so let us get that out of the way. However, that has not stopped people from hoping for one more signing.

One of the more prominent names to pop up is veteran Shane Doan. The push for the signing had died down for awhile, but popped back up in the weekly chats done by Blues beat writer Jeremy Rutherford.

There is not much arguing with Rutherford’s reasoning behind a potential move, or the idea presented by the fan. Doan would provide some good, veteran leadership. He would also present a bigger body that is willing to go to the dirty areas of the ice and get junk goals.

The issue I have with the idea is that the Blues need to start moving forward. If I thought Doan could be for this year’s team what Troy Brouwer was for the 2015-16 team, I’d be all for such a signing. I don’t think that would be the case.

Doan had a severe drop off in point production last season. Some might chalk that up to his team, but it could very well be that he is 40 and just does not have it any more. Eventually, Father Time catches up to everyone, no matter how well they keep in shape.

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Also placing some sort of obstacle to the idea has to be the price. By now, Doan has to know he’s going to be taking a large pay cut to keep playing. How much of a cut is he willing to take though?

In 2016-17, Doan had a cap hit of over $3.8 million. Is he willing to cut that by more than half? He would have to to fit into the Blues plans.

Currently the Blues have a space of around $2.4 million. They want to keep around a $1 million cushion for players coming up from the minors. So, Doan is not going to be getting a big deal from St. Louis, for sure.

Is he comfortable with that? Would he be ok with a third or fourth line role/minutes?

There is almost no way he would sign for the veteran minimum, which is much closer to what I would be comfortable paying him. I would not expect him to sign for such a discount either, unless he really felt the Blues gave him a chance to win that elusive title.

From the Blues perspective, I think they need to not look into this signing either. They do need positive veteran leadership, but it is also time to focus on the future.

When putting together an early look at potential forward line combinations, I was amazed at how many spaces are available for some of the prospects. Do we really want a 40-year old forward, who has never been overly speedy, taking up another spot?

Doan could definitely help out in the locker room. Taking a spot from Ivan Barbashev, Klim Kostin, Zach Sanford or potentially Tage Thompson just is not an appealing idea right now.

The Blues are still a team on the fringes of being a contender. Picking up Doan just doesn’t seem like it moves the needle enough to make it worth it.

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The Blues need to get some playing time for their younger players. The team would not likely sit Doan, nor should we expect him to be ok with stepping aside for any players either.

There are plenty of teams with bigger stars or bigger additions in the offseason. However, the Blues current roster is still capable of winning.

It is time to put some trust in the young guys again and see how they can mix with the team’s own veterans.

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