A return wasn’t a given, not when the routine captain Shane Doan had worked 19 seasons to establish with the Coyotes was suddenly changing.
He fell lower in the lineup and his ice time was cut while younger players debuted – this new reality particularly sinking in after a 5-2 loss to the Islanders on Nov. 16 as Doan wondered about his future in the NHL.
But those questions eventually faded, exonerated by another mainstay in his 20-year career: his ability to adapt.
Doan started to score, again and again and again.
After a hat trick and two-goal effort in consecutive games in late December to tie and then surpass Dale Hawerchuk for the most goals in franchise history, Doan was rejuvenated.