Four days after signing a new contract to remain as general manager of the Phoenix Coyotes, Don Maloney said he wants to keep coach Dave Tippett behind the bench.
"He's a terrific coach in a great position to decide where he wants to coach next year,' Maloney said at a press conference Tuesday. "His contract is up, so we have to work and see if we can come to some understanding that makes him confident enough to sign here with us, and we're going to do everything in our power to make that happen."
Tippett has coached the Coyotes for the past four seasons and led them to three consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff berths before they came up short this season. They have not had a winning percentage of less than .531 in those four seasons, and he took them to the Western Conference Finals last spring.
Tippett's contract expires at the end of next month, but he sounded as if he wants to stay.
"I'm sure Don and I will talk sometime soon," said Tippett, who attended the press conference.
If he stays, Tippett will have the same staff -- Maloney confirmed that the club picked up the options of associate coach Jim Playfair and goalie coach Sean Burke.
The Coyotes are owned by the NHL. League officials and a potential buyer met Tuesday with the city of Glendale.
Of his contract, Maloney joked that "I felt [NHL Deputy Commissioner] Bill Daly took a page out of my playbook and got himself a good deal. I gave him the Walmart special. He took it."
On a more serious note, Maloney said he's glad to be staying with the Coyotes.
"I'm happy and grateful to make a commitment to this franchise and this team," he said. "We're certainly very, very hopeful that we're going to be staying and playing and playing winning hockey in Glendale here for a long, long time."
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