New Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland has found his head coach and has hired Dave Tippett to help turn the franchise around.
“Dave brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the organization,” said Holland in a statement. “He is a great communicator and has consistently led teams known for their level of compete. I look forward to seeing Dave guide the Oilers this fall and we are all excited to have him on board.”
Tippett, who gets a three-year deal with the Oilers, had been working with the NHL Seattle expansion group as a senior advisor since June 2018. Before that, he worked for 14 straight seasons as a head coach with the Arizona Coyotes and Dallas Stars. He won the 2010 Jack Adams Award in his first season with Coyotes, helping to snap the franchise’s six-year playoff drought and managed to get a lot of out a roster that didn’t exactly have the highest budget.
[MORE: Can Tippett overcome challenge ahead of him with Oilers?]
In speaking with The Athletic’s Craig Morgan earlier this month, Tippett, who reportedly interviewed for the head coaching job with the Buffalo Sabres, didn’t close the door on a return behind the bench. It’s a long wait until the 2021-22 season, which will be Seattle’s first in the NHL.
“I don’t think that coaching fire ever goes out, but we’ll have to see how things play out,” said Tippett, who will become the Oilers’ eighth head coach in the last 12 seasons. “If an opportunity comes along, it’s like anything in life. You look at that opportunity. It’s just like this opportunity in Seattle. I looked at it and it looked pretty good.”
Big on structure, Tippett’s Coyotes teams were known for being strong defensively early on in his tenure. The Oilers employing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two good offensive pieces to start with up front. The work on the back end is something that needs improving in Edmonton, but much of that change will fall in Holland’s lap as he tries to get the team in better shape salary cap-wise.
MORE: Ken Holland handed keys to Oilers rebuild
————
Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.