3 exactly perfect fits for Shane Doan

So Shane Doan may be open to the possibility of a trade. Maybe.

The longtime captain of the Arizona Coyotes has been part of the franchise since the original Winnipeg club drafted him seventh overall in 1995. A year later, when the Jets took off for Phoenix, so did Doan, who's remained a key cog for the team ever since.

But with the 40-year-old pending free agent's career winding down and retirement looking like a real possibility, there remains a chance that Captain Coyote could end his career elsewhere in pursuit of his first Stanley Cup.

With Arizona once again mired at the bottom of the standings, the NHL playoffs won't see any home games in the desert this spring. It's a tricky situation for Doan, who recently reached the 1,500-game mark and is only the sixth player in NHL history to do so with a single team.

The veteran leader carries a complex contract complete with bonus money and deferred payments, but it's nothing that couldn't be resolved by Coyotes general manager John Chayka, particularly if he's willing to retain money in a potential deal that facilitates Doan moving to a team he's approved.

Speaking with reporters Monday, Doan acknowledged the difficulty in choosing the Cup winner, noting last year's popular picks among the pundits were the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks, while nobody pictured a Cup parade in Pittsburgh or San Jose.

Doan's longtime friend and junior teammate Jarome Iginla has experienced that difficulty too. In 2013, he gave up his spot with the only team he'd ever known in the Calgary Flames to go Cup chasing. Four years later, Iginla is still searching for that victory, with a career that somehow seems a little less special given his short stints in Pittsburgh, Boston, and Colorado in pursuit of Lord Stanley.

Still, that may not stop Doan from trying. Here are three teams that could make Doan's Cup dream a reality:

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings play a hard-nosed game under the guidance of coach Darryl Sutter, the perfect mould for Doan - while 40, he still plays a physical brand of hockey, particularly when the playoffs roll around.

In Doan's last postseason appearance, a run in which the Coyotes faced off against the Kings in the conference finals, he scored five goals and four assists while accumulating 41 penalty minutes.

There seems to be a fit for Doan in Hollywood. This season, the Kings have rotated through an underwhelming host of talent on the right side, led by former captain Dustin Brown, plus the trio of Trevor Lewis, Devin Setoguchi, and Jordan Nolan. Only two Kings have reached double-digit goals this season, and while Doan has just four markers himself, he's only a single year removed from a 28-goal campaign.

Sitting in the West's second wild-card slot, Los Angeles has experienced its share of struggles this season. Starter Jonathan Quick has missed all but one period after suffering a groin injury, and while minor-leaguer Peter Budaj has held his own in the meantime, there is no denying Quick's winning pedigree in the postseason.

With Quick set to return in March and a weak year for the field in the West, there is an opportunity for a hot team to take a trip to the Finals. Just ask the Kings, who rode an eighth-place finish in 2012 to the franchise's first Cup.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens are built for speed, with a bevy of fleet-footed forwards, but the club has long needed to add bulk on the wings. Enter Doan.

Montreal lacks size on the right side: Its top three right-shot wingers are Alexander Radulov, Andrew Shaw, and Brendan Gallagher, once the latter returns from injured reserve. Not to mention Doan's veteran experience and added scoring touch are always helpful in the playoffs.

The Canadiens have cycled depth players through their bottom six this season, including Brian Flynn, Sven Andrighetto, and now Jacob de la Rose. Do any of these players improve Montreal's odds of being the first Canadian franchise to lift the Cup since the Habs did so themselves in 1993?

A move to Montreal would also mark a family reunion of sorts for Doan, who is a second cousin to Canadiens netminder Carey Price.

San Jose Sharks

If not Los Angeles, how about another California club?

In Silicon Valley, Doan would join a group of wily veterans all in pursuit of their first skate with the silver mug, particularly 37-year-old Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, whom Doan has long admired as a Pacific Division opponent.

Finishing his career with the Sharks would reunite Doan with Mikkel Boedker after they skated together for eight seasons in the desert, and bringing Doan to San Jose would also accomplish a longtime goal for Sharks GM Doug Wilson.

After making the Finals a year ago, only to fall to Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in a hard-fought six-game series, the Sharks could be poised for a repeat trip this spring.

Defenseman Brent Burns has found another gear this season, scoring at a better than point-per-game pace, while the Sharks' frontline threats still include the likes of Logan Couture, who missed 30 games last season, and captain Joe Pavelski. Doan could be the final piece needed to ultimately bring the Cup to the Bay Area.