Oilers name Tippett 16th head coach in franchise history
The Edmonton Oilers officially named Dave Tippett their head coach Tuesday.
Tippett's contract will be for three years, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. He'll earn somewhere between $2.75 million and $3 million per season, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
The 57-year-old brings a wealth of coaching experience to Edmonton, where he will serve as the 16th bench boss in franchise history.
Tippett was the Dallas Stars' head coach for six seasons from 2002-09, and the team earned a conference finals berth in 2008.
Following his dismissal in Dallas, Tippett moved to the then-Phoenix Coyotes and found instant success. He was named the Jack Adams Award recipient in his first year after guiding the Coyotes to a franchise-record 107 points. He took them to the conference finals two seasons later but would miss the playoffs during his last five years in the desert and was relieved of his duties after 2016-17.
Tippett, a Moosomin, Saskatchewan native, was hired by Seattle's upcoming NHL team as a senior adviser last summer.
Despite boasting ample star power with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers have missed the playoffs in back-to-back years. Todd McLellan was fired after a 9-10-1 start to last season and his interim replacement, Ken Hitchcock, didn't fare much better, going 26-28-9 the rest of the way.
Tippett's hiring marks the first major move made by new general manager and president of hockey operations Ken Holland.