They're far and away the two best free-agent forwards available. Yet, with August closing in, Shane Doan and Alexander Semin still don't have contracts to play next season and, in both cases, it's not because of a lack of interest. But the reasons each one remains unsigned are quite different.
First, there's Doan. From the outset, he's made it clear that he wants to play for the Phoenix Coyotes next season. If there were stable ownership there, a deal would be done.
To read more from Craig Custance on why Shane Doan and Alexander Semin remain unsigned, you must be an ESPN Insider.
- Senior NHL writer for ESPN The Magazine
- Wrote for Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Wrote for The Sporting News
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Craig Custance
Craig Custance joined ESPN in September 2011 as an NHL reporter for ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Insider and ESPN.com. A graduate of Michigan State University, he lived for nearly a decade in Georgia working for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he spent time covering the late Atlanta Thrashers. He was the only Thrashers beat writer to get the team to the playoffs.
From 2008-11 he was the national hockey writer for the Sporting News, writing regularly in print and online. A member of the PHWA, he's a proud voter for the major NHL awards and can occasionally defend his selections.
Like hockey, he left Atlanta to return north where he currently lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, with his wife Cassie and their three kids.
Follow Craig on Twitter: @CraigCustance
And fire off a few probing questions for his weekly mailbag while you're at it.
