Larry Brooks of the New York Post is among the smartest and most reliable sources of inside information in the business. Today he wrote at length about the impact of the Rick Nash trade on the Rangers organization, and included this tantalizing nugget about the Shane Doan derby:

Doan, who understandably wants this to be the last move he makes, is believed to have narrowed his sights on Manhattan, Pittsburgh and Vancouver. It’s unclear if Rangers general manager Glen Sather is willing to go four years, but if he does, Doan is more likely than not to become a Blueshirt.

Read past the jump for more.

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Let’s begin by parsing Brooks’ language somewhat. Introducing the information about Doan’s narrowing list of preferred destinations, Brooks qualifies the relevant statement with "is believed." That’s a very different and more ambiguous sort of qualifier than "the Post has learned" or "sources indicate," both of which would clearly indicate that Brooks has the information on the record.

So who believes that Doan is deciding between Vancouver, New York and Pittsburgh? Generally speaking, I’d suggest that Brooks is probably referring to himself, and basing his opinion on conversations with a variety of sources. Brooks has a stellar record, so cryptic language aside I’d still place a fair bit of confidence in his report.

The next sentence is an interesting one as well, since it suggests that if the Rangers are willing to offer Doan a fourth year on his deal, then they’d gain the inside track on landing the mythical beast’s services. There are a lot of ways to read that sentence, but the impression I get from it is that among Doan’s preferred destinations there is a general reluctance to offer the 36 year old a four year deal (with good reason).

If we believe Brooks about Doan having finalized his shorter shortlist – all teams that play in nice cities, and have a legitimate shot at the Cup – then perhaps at this point in the process, Doan’s camp is waiting on one of those clubs to ante up and offer them that fourth year. Admittedly this is speculation on my end, but it makes sense to me that a fourth year could make the difference in the Doan derby.

What say you faithful readers, would you like to see Gillis and the Canucks offer a fourth season in order to land Doan?

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