Opportunity drew Doan to take job with Leafs

N.Y. Shane Doan couldn’t say no to longtime friend Brad Treliving and he couldn’t say no to the Maple Leafs.

Now Doan, whose relationship with Leafs star Auston Matthews is not to be dismissed, has left the only NHL organization he has known to start a new chapter as Treliving’s special adviser.

“Getting the opportunity to work with (Treliving) was huge,” Doan said.

“And, at the same time, the fact it’s the Toronto Maple Leafs — there’s no way you can get around the fact, I don’t care if you love the Leafs or hate the Leafs, which a lot of people do — you can’t ignore the fact that it is where hockey is so huge. Everything that they’ve created and everything that they’ve done as an organization to create the Leafs is special.”

The market has chewed up and spit out no shortage of players, coaches and managers, the last of which was Kyle Dubas, now president of hockey operations with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Doan, in a way, replaces Jason Spezza as a beloved former player with a keen head for the game and with management aspirations.

“There comes a time when you sometimes have to do stuff that makes you grow and you have to stretch yourself,” Doan said. “I think every player wants to be an NHL GM one day. Everyone’s always looking for that opportunity. It’s an incredibly hard job.

“I want to help and I want to find a way to be part of a group that can win. To be a manager at some point would be fun, but that’s not really my goal right now.”

The move, the first big one of Treliving’s tenure, came with most of the team’s front office in Buffalo to interview prospects at the NHL combine.

It feels like there is a calm over the team’s direction, which had seemed in disarray a little over two weeks ago. Behind the scenes other managers were nodding approvingly about Treliving and Doan while Leafs employees also seemed more sure-footed.

Doan and his wife will move to Toronto where he will help oversee a roster loaded with talent he is familiar with, namely Matthews and Matt Knies, both products of the Phoenix area hockey system that exists in large part because the original Winnipeg Jets, who drafted Doan, moved to the desert.

Upon retiring in 2017 as the Jets/ Coyotes leader in games played (1,540), goals (402), assists (570) and points (972), he eventually moved to the front office on the business side of the game. But his work internationally speaks to his ability to get talented players to achieve their goals. He was GM of the Canadian team that just won gold at the world championship in Finland.

“Every single time you go over as Team Canada, we have more than enough talent to win it,” Doan said. “That is never the question. It’s always about whether or not you can bring a group together enough with the camaraderie, with the buy-in, with the ability to make everybody feel important. I think that’s huge. Everybody on the team has to feel like we need you. We need you to be at your best on every single night.”

During his association with Hockey Canada, both as a player and in management, Doan has worked with some of the game’s best executives: Doug Armstrong, Steve Yzerman, Jason Botterill and Ron Francis.

Doan says he will do what he can when it comes to helping Matthews make his decision about re-signing with the team. Matthews and William Nylander are eligible to sign extensions on July 1.

“If I can help in that area, I’ll help,” Doan said. “But, at the same time, that’ll be his decision. And I’m excited about the opportunity to work with them for the next little bit.

“We’ve got a great relationship. He comes and skates down here (in Scottsdale, Ariz.). He has skated with me since he was 16 … It’s been fun and I enjoy that.”

Doan even coached Knies. “He’s a great kid. I enjoy him a lot. I’m excited to see what he can do. I’ve known him and his family — his mom and dad and his brother Philip — for a long, long time. We’re close. It’s exciting to watch him play and to see what he did in the playoffs. He’s got a long ways to go and he’s got a lot to learn, but he’s heading in the right direction.”

As for the team itself?

“You look at what they’ve done in the last few years, they’re in the top three or four every single year. You don’t do that by accident,” Doan said. “You have to have some legit players. You have to have some legit management and coaching staff.

“The goal is always to win and it’s so hard to win the whole thing. There’s only one team that’s ever happy. There’s always things you can improve but, at the same time, you’ve got to tip your hat to what they’ve done and what they’ve created here and find a way to take that next step.”

‘‘ There comes a time when you sometimes have to do stuff that makes you grow and you have to stretch yourself. SHANE DOAN SPECIAL ADVISOR TO LEAFS GM