5 possible replacements for Dave Tippett as Arizona Coyotes coach

4. Adam Oates

Over his 19 seasons as a player, Oates piled up the 17th-most points in NHL history (1,420, including 1,079 assists, currently seventh-most all-time). After that he became an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils for three total seasons, with acknowledgement for his work with Tampa Bay’s power play and being cited by Devils’ general manager Lou Lamoriello for how well he communicated with players.

Oates spent all or part of six seasons of his playing career with the Washington Capitals, and he returned to the franchise to take over as head coach ahead of the lockout-abbreviated 2012-13 season. The Capitals won a division title and made the playoffs in that first season behind the bench, but they lost in the first round of the playoffs. After missing the playoffs in 2013-14 with a 38-30-14 record, Oates was fired by Washington along with general manage George McPhee.

In the middle of the 2014-15 season, Oates went back to the Devils to become “co- head coach” with Scott Stevens. That odd arrangement was not built to last, of course, and Oates has not been in coaching (at least on a formal level) since. A couple years ago his side work with Zach Parise and Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild, outside the authority of then-head coach Mike Yeo, was the object of some controversy.

Even with the constant change and recycling of head coaches in the NHL, Oates has not gotten another shot. If he wants the opportunity, Arizona can provide it.