Coyotes, coach Dave Tippett agree to part ways

A sweeping overhaul of the Coyotes continued Thursday night, as the team and coach Dave Tippett mutually agreed to part ways, catapulting the organization into a coaching search on the brink of the most critical juncture of the offseason and creating even more uncertainty about the direction of the franchise.

In the past week, Arizona has traded No. 1 goaltender Mike Smith, dismissed longtime captain and former face of the franchise Shane Doan by deciding not to offer him a contract, and now cut ties with Tippett. All these moves have come amid a new front-office structure that was triggered once owner Andrew Barroway bought out his minority partners earlier this month.

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Barroway is not allowed to comment per league directive but did release a statement through the team.

“On behalf of the entire Coyotes organization, I would like to sincerely thank Tip for all of his hard work and the many contributions he made to our organization," Barroway said. “Tip is a man of high character and we are very grateful for his leadership during his tenure as our head coach. Ultimately, we have some philosophical differences on how to build our team. Therefore, we mutually agreed that it is in everyone's best interest to have a coaching change in order to move our franchise forward."

Confirming @TSNBobMcKenzie report that #Coyotes and coach Dave Tippett have mutually agreed to part ways. — Sarah McLellan (@azc_mclellan) June 23, 2017

The team said this was a structured buyout but did not elaborate.

Tippett was in Chicago for the NHL draft, which starts Friday, the team said, and he and Barroway did meet before announcing the news.

Reached for comment, Tippett reiterated the nature of the split, saying via text message, “Just mutually agreed to go our own ways.” He also issued a statement through the team.

“After some thoughtful discussions with Andy, we both agreed that it was best for me to move on," Tippett said. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Coyotes and wish Andy and the entire organization all the best in the future."

Tippett, 55, held dual titles for the Coyotes, adding the role of executive vice president of hockey operations last year when he signed a new five-year contract in May 2016 – a move that coincided with John Chayka getting promoted to general manager and previous co-owner Gary Drummond becoming president of hockey operations.

But ever since Drummond and the Coyotes’ other minority owners were bought out June 12 by Barroway, the Coyotes have been in flux. The rest of the Coyotes' coaching staff remains intact at this point.

"Dave is an excellent head coach and a great person," Chayka said in a statement released by the team. "I have the utmost respect for him and the job he did for the Coyotes. It was a privilege to work with him and I wish him the best in the future."

Smith’s departure was the first major change, as the 35-year-old was a reliable No. 1 option in net and had two seasons remaining on his contract. He was traded to the Flames last Saturday for a prospect, a conditional draft pick and the rights to soon-to-be free agent goalie Chad Johnson.

That same day, the team notified Doan his playing days with the franchise were done with the news becoming public Monday, a decision that has been decried by fans and criticized for its delivery. Doan was told at a restaurant Saturday morning by Chayka.

Although Tippett didn’t comment publicly on these moves, it’s possible he wasn’t in favor of the direction the Coyotes were taking. These were his two of his longest-tenured players in a shrinking pool of veterans, and the relationship between Smith and Tippett dated back to a previous overlapping stint in Dallas with the Stars.

The “philosophical differences” Barroway mentioned, however, could have sprouted much earlier as the Coyotes have struggled ever since they began to rebuild at the 2015 trade deadline. That isn’t unusual for a team embarking on a process that requires patience while young players get integrated into the lineup and adapt to the NHL pace, but progress from that point has been uneven.

Arizona held a playoff spot at the All-Star break during 2015-16 before tumbling out of contention in the second half but was near the bottom of the standings last season almost from the get-go as the team implemented even more youth onto its roster.

The summers before both seasons the Coyotes weren’t overly active in making over their roster with surefire talented options, so the results weren’t exactly surprising but the lack of improvement could have been frustrating for Tippett – especially, perhaps, if he didn’t forecast any quality upgrades this offseason.

By parting with Smith and Doan, the Coyotes have shed salary and created cap space but have yet to make a significant acquisition to help them reach the salary-cap floor or fill the voids in the lineup.

Tippett leaves the organization after eight seasons behind the bench, going 282-257-83 to rank as the all-time winningest coach in franchise history and the longest-tenured. He was named the 17th head coach in franchise history in September 2009, getting ushered in just nine days before the start of the season with the team still trying to stabilize on the heels of getting dropped into bankruptcy.

Immediately, though, he steadied the on-ice product with his attention-to-details style that trained the Coyotes to be strong from the crease out.

And they thrived, with Tippett guiding the franchise to its best regular-season performance yet with 50 wins and 107 points to snap an eight-year playoff drought. After the season, Tippett was recognized with the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL’s coach of the year.

He went on to lead the Coyotes to another 40-plus win and 95-plus points season, the first time that had happened in team history. And in 2011-12, the Coyotes enjoyed their most successful season to date as they captured their first division title, won their first playoff series since the franchise moved to Arizona and advanced all the way to the Western Conference finals.

The Coyotes have yet to make the playoffs since, and their competitiveness has waned with a 24-win, 56-point showing in 2014-15 one of the worst outputs in franchise history.

These poor seasons, however, didn’t seem to place Tippett on the hot seat because it was understood that the Coyotes were rebuilding and ownership handed him a new contract with more reach just last summer.

But as of last Saturday, the Coyotes don’t appear afraid to break from the established and familiar to embark into the unknown.

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.

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