What happens if Doan falls through?

It was reported on July 27th the Detroit Red Wings appeared to be out on negotiations with the last big name unrestricted free agent on the market, Shane Doan. Apparently the word was that he simply wanted more than Detroit was willing to give. The Red Wings as of this writing have around $13 million in cap space, $1.5 million MORE than the Rangers do. Detroit, after losing out on Zach Parise as well as Ryan Suter, were exploring on settling on Doan and decided against it. The Rangers on the other hand are looking for that final, over the top piece to their Stanley Cup puzzle after acquiring Rick Nash and to prevent former Islander Michael Haley from seeing 4th line minutes on the Rangers.

So while it would take quite a bit of $$$$  (give or take a cap hit of roughly $6 million) to get Doan to agree to come east, its entirely possible that Doan turns the Rangers away over a disagreement about the length of a new contract. So where would the Rangers go from there? The Rangers have had little issues in the past couple seasons calling up the kids to see how they stick. However, the Whale have experienced a heavy turnover, particularly their main goal scorers from a season ago. All the high-end Ranger prospects that have been drafted within the last two seasons should be playing in Connecticut this upcoming season. Christian Thomas and JT Miller who both skated in the OHL last season are virtual locks to make the Whale and will get a very long look by the Rangers coaching staff during training camp to see if there is room in New York.

While it's not the end of the world if Doan signs elsewhere, you would like to see the Rangers add a player of Doan's caliber. Doan has taken a lot of bad press as of late. You would think Doan's priority would be angling for a Stanley Cup right now rather than one last big contract with a team looking to get above the cap floor. On the surface the latter is a fair criticism, as he is giving the Coyotes every opportunity to get their ownership situation straightened out before deciding to re-sign with them. I hope Doan decides to put a Stanley Cup ahead of filling his pockets one last time in Phoenix. While the Rangers do not absolutely need Doan, his addition on the Rangers would make an already potent lineup among the deepest in the NHL.