John Chayka says a new contract for captain Shane Doan is inevitable.
"It's just a matter of going through that process to reach a deal, because Shane wants to be back," the new Arizona Coyotes general manager told Sarah McLellan of The Arizona Republic. "We want him to be back, and we're going to get something done. It's just a matter of time."
Doan and his agent, Terry Bross, met with Chayka and head coach/executive Dave Tippett earlier this week, and the two sides are in the early stages of the negotiating process.
"We're going to continue to talk and work things out, I hope," Bross said.
Doan is in the final season of a four-year, $21.2-million deal that carried a cap hit of $5.3 million. He'll be an unrestricted free agent if he's not signed by July 1.
He told the NHL Network earlier this month that he decided to return after his initial meeting with Chayka, the 26-year-old analytics expert who was named the youngest GM in NHL history on May 5.
Doan had one of his most productive seasons in 2015-16, scoring 28 goals in 72 games.
The 39-year-old has spent his entire 20-year career in the Coyotes organization, which drafted him seventh overall in 1995 - as the Winnipeg Jets - before moving to the desert one year later.
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