Report: Oilers next head coach has been chosen

Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland has been on the job for just two weeks, but has made considerable change in such a short period of time. Gone are longtime Oilers executives Craig MacTavish and Duane Sutter and now Holland is reportedly ready to hire his team’s next head coach. The frontrunner… or as NHL insider Bob McKenzie reports… the ONLY runner for the job is former Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett.

Check it out:

Just following up on this, my sense is that Dave Tippett is not only the leading candidate in EDM but, for the moment, the only candidate. Now, that could change quickly if Holland and Tippett aren’t on the same page in terms of contract etc. So we’ll know better in next 48 hrs. https://t.co/79BR5jYqjO
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 22, 2019

Tippett hasn’t coached since the 2016-17 season and has been a “special advisor” to the Seattle expansion group.

According to McKenzie’s TSN colleague Pierre LeBrun, Holland’s coaching search began with more than two dozen names, but is down to just Tippett now.

Ken Holland’s coaching search began with 15 names or so. Some of them interviewed. Down to a short list now. Tippett still figures prominently. As far as timing, I would guess either a hire by Friday or it waits until week of June 3 with Oil brass busy at draft combine next week https://t.co/5bnA8HV4YF
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 21, 2019