The Edmonton Oilers had a lot of excitement entering the 2017 NHL season, having just come off a playoff berth with generational star Connor McDavid. After a disappointing year led to Todd McLellan getting fired at the beginning of this season, Ken Hitchcock took over in the interim with more disappointing results this past season. Now, with former Red Wings GM Ken Holland at the helm, the Oilers have found a new coach in Dave Tippett.
The #Oilers have named Dave Tippett as Head Coach. Tippett joins the organization with 14 years of @NHL head coaching experience including, most recently, eight seasons with Arizona from 2009 to 2017. pic.twitter.com/rItEdXmwwA
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 28, 2019
Tippett heads to Edmonton from his post as a senior advisor for the NHL's upcoming Seattle expansion. He was a head coach from 2002-2017 after taking over behind the Stars' bench before moving to the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes in 2009. In 2016, he signed a five-year deal to be vice presidents of operations and coach for the Coyotes, but he made it just a year into that contract before he and the Coyotes parted ways.
With that in mind, there's a bit more to work with on the current Oilers roster than there was in Arizona. The first order of business will be to get a goalie, but he already has a pair of proven scorers in McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. There's a lot of work to be done in building around them, but it's a good place to start
The Oilers are hoping they've found long-term solutions in Holland and Tippett, but there's a ton of pressure heading into this season. After a pair of lackluster years, fans are looking for them to get back into the playoffs and, even better,make some noise when they get there.
