Edmonton Oilers: Is Dave Tippett the right coach for them?

The Edmonton Oilers have named former Arizona Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett as their next head coach. Is he the right man for the job? 

It has been a long-overdue offseason of changes for the Edmonton Oilers so far. They replaced interim general manager Keith Gretzky, replacing him with long-time Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland. After announcing Ken Hitchcock wouldn’t return as their head coach, they’ve been looking for a new one. They’ve found him in Dave Tippett.

Dave Tippett was a part of the NHL Seattle’s front office as a senior advisor. Obviously, he will no longer be in that role, as he’s with the Oilers now. This is his first head coaching job since being relieved of his duties by the Arizona Coyotes in June of 2017.

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He served as the Coyotes head coach from 2009 to 2017. During Tippett’s tenure in Arizona, the Yotes made it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times in eight seasons. However, they failed to make the postseason in each of his last five seasons there.

The Oilers will be Tippett’s third NHL head coaching gig. His first came with the Dallas Stars from 2002 to 2009. During his tenure there, the Stars made the postseason five out of six times, making a Western Conference Final appearance in 2008. While Tippett has never worked with Holland, he has experience with Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson, as he has been on several coaching staffs with Team Canada.

Is He The Right Guy?

Tippett has minimal work experience with anyone currently associated with the Oilers, which is a good sign. He has a ton of coaching experience as well. Tippett’s experience as the Coyotes Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations should serve him well, as the relationship between the coach and the front office is important.

Though Arizona didn’t make the playoffs in his last five seasons as head coach, it’s not like he had much to work with. The Coyotes were constantly dealt a weak hand as far as their roster under Tippett. More often than not, he was able to at least keep them competitive despite suboptimal circumstances.

Tippett knows Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins well, as he was an assistant coach for Team North America during the World Cup of Hockey. It’ll be interesting to see how he does after a layoff from coaching. Some coaches do well after some time off (see: Bruce Cassidy). However, Tippett will have to adjust to the modern NHL, which relies heavily on speed and skill.

The Oilers better hope Tippett can take them to the next level. Their margin of error is shrinking with every failure. And other than McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Nugent-Hopkins, the Oilers don’t have a very strong roster. Tippett did a good job in Arizona by getting the most out of his guys. He’ll have to dig deep to get the Oilers back to where they should be – the playoffs.