Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the Penguins have made a contract offer to UFA forward Shane Doan.
Anderson didn’t obtain either the terms or dollar amount being offered, but did say the longtime Phoenix Coyote has a “mutual interest” in Pittsburgh.
It’s not entirely surprising that Pittsburgh wants Doan. The Pens have been actively searching for a winger to play with Sidney Crosby and, after losing out on the Zach Parise sweepstakes, have discussed with a number of the “Plan B” free agents -- including Washington’s Alex Semin.
The wildcard in Doan talks? What kind of money GM Ray Shero put on the table. The Penguins have just under $10 million in available cap space and have no glaring roster holes to fill, meaning they could make a pretty lucrative pitch to the 35-year-old.
That’s key, because a report out of Arizona last week said a mystery team from the Eastern Conference offered Doan a four-year, $30 million-plus deal.
Related: Doan’s agent says July 16 deadline is “off the table”
