Tippett: Seattle to begin GM search in spring

A management group that is pushing for an NHL franchise in Seattle is seeking a general manager, even though the league is yet to offically grant the city an expansion team.

According to Dave Tippett, senior advisor with the Seattle hopefuls, the aim is to begin the GM search next spring and to have the right candidate in place by the draft.

"I think it happens probably around the draft next year - a year out. Vegas hired George McPhee about 15 months out from when they started," Tippett told 950 KJR. "We'll have a good list of candidates. Some may be working through the draft with the team. There might be somebody available before that. We'll see how it goes, but by next spring we'll start digging into that."

Tippett, who last served as head coach and executive vice-president of hockey operations of the Arizona Coyotes in 2016-17, hasn't ruled out the possibility of serving as Seattle's first coach, but will be looking for an experienced hand for the GM's chair.

"I've been lucky to touch a lot of different parts of the game, (and as) an advisor in a lot of those different roles," Tippett added. "(The) general manager I think is somebody who has done that job at the NHL level before. I really think that's important in an expansion team."

Of course, before Seattle hires a GM or begins assembling its roster, it must first be granted a franchise. When that announcement could come remains unknown, as an expansion vote won't be on the agenda for October's meeting of the NHL board of governors.