The Edmonton Oilers recently fired their head coach Kris Knoblauch following a disappointing 2025-26 NHL season.
Across the country in Toronto, the Maple Leafs also fired their head coach Craig Berube after two seasons behind the bench after a disappointing 2025-26 NHL season.
There are parallels in ways and according to some, it may be more than just in the way the past calendar year has unfolded for the two former head coaches. It seems that there could be a very funny outcome where Knoblauch becomes the Maple Leafs next head coach and Berube for the Oilers.
In recent days, this has become even more possible as multiple NHL insiders have reported that the Oilers have asked and been granted permission to speak with Berube. It is good to see Oilers general manager Stan Bowman doing his due diligence, especially as he waits for permission to speak with other candidates.
Hearing a formal interview with Berube is expected after some initial conversation between he and Bowman. Permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy had still not been granted as of Sunday night.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) May 18, 2026
Is Berube the answer for the Oilers?
It should be noted that Berube has a very different perception than previous Oilers head coaches like Knoblauch and Jay Woodcroft. First and foremost, he is a former NHL enforcer, giving him a different perspective on the game as a whole and with him logging well over 1000 NHL games during his playing days, it could garner more respect from players.
On a similar note, Berube has a reputation as being a demanding coach. Historically, this is a style that can produce positive results but usually comes with a short shelf life as it can wear down on players and create tension.
Going through Berube's career history, he has been a head coach for three separate teams: The Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Overall, he has been behind the bench as head coach for 707 games with a 365-252-90 record over 10 seasons. His teams have made the playoffs six times and looking at his year-by-year breakdown, it seems to be clear that he eventually wears down his players.
He was the Flyers head coach for only two seasons and after making the playoffs in his first year (2013-14), failed to make the playoffs the following season. As Blues head coach, he took over midseason in 2018-19 and won the Stanley Cup that same season, overseeing the team as they made a meteoric rise from last place on January 1st to Stanley Cup champions.
After that, the Blues fizzled out as they aged and inched closer to an eventual rebuild, one that Berube did not survive. In Toronto, he had a similar effect to the previous two stops, leading the team to a 52-win season and a second round playoff berth in his first year to a bottom-feeder the next year.
This is a concerning trend as he seems to find success early but fails to maintain it as his teams consistently fall off overtime. Another trend that is worrying is that in his six playoff berths, Berube has a mediocre win-loss record of 34-37 and has advanced past the first round only three times.
Berube's underlying numbers are concerning
Berube's tenure in Toronto did not end well, as evidenced by his firing just two seasons on the job. It is similar to his time as the Flyers coach, where he came in and had a promising first season before the team collapsed the next year.
This past season as Leafs coach was, to put it bluntly, disastrous. He took a lot of heat for his lineup management and for how the team performed under his tutelage. Auston Matthews, according to PuckIQ was utilized as a shutdown centre, logging 45.6 percent of his minutes against elite competition. For comparison, fellow NHL stars Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon were 38.5 and 35 percent, respectively.
Looking deeper at his time with the Maple Leafs, their underlying numbers plummeted under Berube. Over the past four seasons, the worst seasons in terms of Fenwick, Corsi, and expected goals were under Berube with a noticeable decline when the 60 year old coach took over.
The club went from 51.82% Fenwick percentage in 2022-23 to 48.4% and 44.45% in the past two years under Berube. Similarly, the Leafs dipped below the 50% mark in terms of both CF and xGF percentage to 47.72% and 44.09% as well as 49.39% and 45.66%, respectively.
This is a stark contrast year-over-year, a change that cannot be completely ignored. It is a similar trend that follows Berube throughout his time with the Blues and Flyers and at this stage, seems to be a pattern and likely a reflection of his coaching style and systems.
Between the spotty record as a coach and the poor performing underlying numbers, Berube does not seem like an ideal candidate for the Oilers head coaching vacancy and the club should exercise extreme caution.
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