SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Shane Doan has been the heart, soul and face of the Arizona Coyotes franchise for so long that it’s hard to envision him accepting a lesser role. It’s hard to imagine the franchise asking him.

If Arizona’s forward mix pans out as hoped, however, coach Dave Tippett could ask him to do just that this season.

Once the Coyotes had completed their flurry of free-agent signings in July, Tippett floated the idea of playing Doan on a line with center Brad Richardson and wing Tobias Rieder.

“They’re all good NHL players with the ability to play in any situation and play fast,” Tippett said Monday, “but it’s a little early to think about lines right now.”

Before the buzz about Doan being demoted to third line grows too loud, it’s important to remember that Tippett’s lines change often. Doan could move 10 minutes into Game 2 of the season — if he ends up playing on that line at all.

It’s also important to remember that Tippett is seeking balance, not necessarily a hierarchy, when constructing the mix of his top nine forwards.

“You can call it the third line if you want,” Tippett said. “I might call it the first line. I would say our top three lines are all going to be interchangeable.”

It’s fair to wonder, however, if the time has come for Doan, who turns 39 in October, to play fewer minutes to maximize his effectiveness. Last season, Doan averaged 18:52 of ice time per game, tops among Arizona forwards who finished the season with the club and second to center Antoine Vermette (18:58), who played 63 games with Arizona before a four-month stint with Chicago.

Doan’s 36-point season in 2014-15 was his lowest output for a full season since 1998-99.

Doan won’t accept fewer minutes, but the best leader in this franchise’s history won’t cause a distraction if that’s what happens.

“Everybody wants to play more. If you play 20 minutes you want to play 22 and that’s my mindset,” said Doan, who has already begun informal skates with a few Coyotes at the Ice Den in Scottsdale. “At the same time, I trust Tip, even if I don’t always agree with him. You do what you’re told and you prepare the right way and you hope you make the decision as hard as possible.”

Tippett said Doan’s minutes this season would be a product of many factors. Aside from Doan’s performance, Arizona will need a couple of its younger forwards to step forward. Vermette and Martin Hanzal are set as the top two centers, and Mikkel Boedker will surely play right wing on one of those lines, but Steve Downie is the other right wing penciled in among the team’s top nine forwards and Tippett still wants to see how he fits into the mix.

That likely leaves Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and Rieder as the team’s top nine left wings, unless a surprise player such as Brendan Perlini makes a push for a roster spot.

“A lot can still happen,” Tippett said.

Besides, Doan isn’t ready to concede that he’s slowing down, despite a season that was disappointing across the board for the Coyotes.

“I think it’s so mental,” he said. “You can watch a guy like Sidney Crosby struggle though the playoffs where he’s still hands down the best player in the NHL and can change a game by himself. I’m not saying I’m Sidney Crosby but when you get bounces and get on a roll things start looking a whole lot better.”

Doan was on that kind of roll to start 2013-14 before contracting Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a disease that ravaged his body. He thinks he can get on that kind of roll again as he enters the final year of a contract that will pay him $4.55 million this season.

“I’m feeling good again,” he said. “I’m feeling optimistic.”

So optimistic that Doan said he wants to play beyond this season — hopefully with the only franchise for which he has ever laced up skates.

“I always want to approach it that way until I know I’m done,” said Doan, who has no interest in waiving his no-move clause and requesting a trade to chase a Stanley Cup. “I’d like to have a good year. If I feel I can still help the team and they still want me, we can go from there.”

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