Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
With Alain Vigneault taking his talents to Broadway, and John Tortorella having a mutual interest with Vancouver, head coaching candidates are beginning to dwindle for the Dallas Stars, who continue to drag their feet. But a hiring could very well be on the horizon.
There are rumors floating around out there that Lindy Ruff could very well be named the head coach of the Stars in the coming days. He’s the best candidate available for anyone, so it would make sense that the Stars would want to hire him. But there is still no official word on whether or not that is actually true.
If it’s not, there could be a scenario that would lead to the Stars getting the candidate that they truly want: Dave Tippett. Of course, Tippett recently agreed to a new contract with the Phoenix Coyotes, as his is set to expire on July 5th. But it’s not a guaranteed deal, by any means.
Tippett’s extension with the Coyotes hinges on the fact that Phoenix gets a deal done to remain in Glendale. Until then, a new deal will not become official. If the Coyotes relocate, whether it’s to Quebec City or Seattle or a variety of other locations, then Tippett becomes a coaching free agent.
Does that mean that the Stars would be willing to wait until the Coyotes’ ownership situation is settled before moving on Ruff, or potentially being able to move in on Tippett, the candidate they really desire? It’s possible. But at the same time, that cuts things awfully close to the draft, and one would imagine that they’d want a head coach in place sooner than that.
In the end, Ruff is likely going to be the guy taking over behind the bench. All signs point to it. But it makes a whole lot of sense that the Stars would be dragging their feet in this simply because they’re waiting on the fate of the Coyotes to be decided before making an official decision.
