BLOG: Tippett encouraged by depth additions

EDMONTON, AB - Head Coach Dave Tippett hasn't had a roster this deep and this versatile at his disposal during his time with the Oilers. In the opening week of NHL Free Agency, the shelves he pulls from to assemble his lineup have been thoroughly stocked.
"This is as deep as we've been in the two years since I've been here," Tippett
said to Bob Stauffer and 630CHED's Oilers Now
on Tuesday. "You get into the playoffs and depth becomes very important just finding people to chip in a goal here or there."
Defensively, Tippett has two - potentially three - new names to begin tinkering with on his back end in veteran trade acquisition Duncan Keith and free-agent signee Cody Ceci, with the pair having the potential to line up alongside one another in the Oilers second defence pairing.
"I like our depth on defence," Tippett added. "[Oilers Pres. of Hockey Ops & GM Ken Holland] I know is talking about probably adding one more guy. We've got some new pieces and we're going to have to get to know them a little bit, but for the most part, I like where we're at on defence. I think we have a different look and we could take steps forward with it."

Tippett spoke to the familiarity of defencemen Darnell Nurse and Tyson Barrie as the club's top pair on the back end, and potentially pairing Evan Bouchard with a more experienced partner on the third pair.
The addition of Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner and three-time Stanley Cup champion, will be a valuable piece on the blue line and a veteran presence to a younger crop of players like Bouchard, who Tippett says will play a bigger role for the club this upcoming season.
"I don't know if I've talked to a player who's more motivated to play well than [Keith] is," Tippett said. "He had a great run in Chicago, and now he's looking for a new challenge, and the challenge to help our younger players take another step is something that he really is jumping into. He's a motivated player and wants to play well and make sure our players take the next step. I think it's a great add for our team."
Changes at forward for Tippett are highlighted by the signing of Zach Hyman, whom the bench boss now has the luxury of deploying in his top six along with roles on the power play and penalty kill.

The arrivals of forwards Warren Foegele and Derek Ryan, the former of which acquired via trade last week and signed a new three-year contract on Saturday, give the club a couple more hard-nosed proven players who Tippett can look to for consistency upfront in different roles.
"I think we have offensive depth," Tippett said. "I think this is the most we've seen. Not just offensive depth, but proven offensive depth."
"[Foegele] is one of those guys you look at in a playoff series who could have a real big impact. Ryan is a player I've liked for a long time since he was back in Carolina. He's a smart player who can play in a lot of different situations. As a coach, he's one of those guys you look to down the bench to get something done… he's one of those glue guys in that vein, so I like the additions we've made."
That all doesn't discount for Tippett the expectation for returning young talents in the likes of Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, and Ryan McLeod to make even bigger steps and contributions this upcoming campaign.
"I think you'll see Puljujarvi come in and continue to push forward, Yamamoto to push forward, and McLeod will come in with a tonne of confidence this year," he said. "So our forward group is a very deep group and I really think we've improved there."