In this edition of the hotstove, we share our thoughts on Edmonton's hiring of Dave Tippett as the team's new head coach.
Todd Cordell
I believe the Oilers would have been best to target a younger, more modern-style coach like Sheldon Keefe or Rikard Gronberg but I still think Tippett is a reasonable hire.
Generally speaking, he has done a good job of getting a lot out of a little and maximizing the talent on hand. That's very important for this job considering the Oilers are extremely top heavy and don't have much beyond their few stars, led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Though the NHL game is different now than when Tippett last enjoyed real success, I'm sure he's spent ample time re-evaluating himself and making some necessary tweaks and adjustments. If that's the case, I think he'll do just fine.
I'm much more concerned about the roster. Ken Holland has a lot of work to do.
Sean Maloughney As I have already said, I don't have any inherent issues with the Oilers bringing in Tippett. Over the past few weeks, it has been reported that Edmonton has interviewed and spoken with a number of different coaches before zeroing in on Tippett. He has zero ties with the Oilers organization so I don't know how anyone can call him a member of the Old Boys Club.
Tippett is a coach who will ask his players to play a full 200 foot game, and that doesn't necessarily mean fewer points. Hitchcock coached the Oilers for the bulk of last season, another known for being a "defensive coach" and both McDavid and Draisaitl had career years, with Draisaitl cracking 50 points.
When Tippett coached Dallas they were a regular 100 point team. When he coached the Coyotes they were much more defensive because there quite simply was not the talent in place there, however, players like Vrbata and Ray Whitney still had career years playing for him.
At the end of the day, Edmonton needs to worry more about the players on the roster, rather than some dream coach coming in to save the day. As long as Tippett can show he has adapted to the modern NHL game he will do fine in Edmonton.
James Tanner As I wrote in my blog the other day, hiring Tippett is a terrible move for the Oilers. They clearly have no idea what they are doing and are caught up in the same problem that afflicts almost everyone in the NHL: too much respect for people with experience. Forget the fact that Tippett has been fired from two other NHL teams, he's just the ticket!!!
Now, this isn't to say that experience isn't an important factor, but there are 1000s of experienced coaches, they just don't have NHL experience. To me, not even considering them because you have a name brand guy available shows me that the Oilers care more about perception than winning. There's a risk in hiring an unknown, but while there's just as much of a risk in hiring Tippett the perception will be that it's a safe pick because he's a known commodity, and basically no one will call this out as a bad move.
Additionally, experience isn't the only factor in why hiring Tippett is the wrong choice - Tippett is a coach from and about the dead puck era. Analytics are not something he respects or cares about (unless he has changed a lot in his time off). He will play vets over rookies, he will prioritize size and "heaviness" over skill. Whatever your thoughts are on analytics in hockey, they are irrelevant. The game is changing and has changed. Tippett will dump the puck in, and he'll hook and hold and his favorite player will be Kris Russell.
He isn't a coach for these times, and by hiring him the Oilers are proving they aren't a team for these times. This is a horrible move by a horrible franchise. The fact that this move will probably be universally loved by the mainstream media, who can't stand guys like Kyle Dubas, should tell you all you need to know. Another in a long line of pathetic failures for the Oilers, and the just-give-him-a-chancers who enable them.
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