Oilers Will Be Making Big Mistake By Hiring Craig Berube – Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers are in the early stages of what many see as the most important season in franchise history. After advancing to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025, the Oilers regressed in a big way this past season.

Not only did the Oilers finish the season with a disappointing 41-30-11 record, but they were eliminated in the first round by an Anaheim Ducks team that was not yet considered a Stanley Cup contender. This was a big step in the wrong direction for Edmonton, leading many to question whether their championship window had closed.

Making things even more interesting is that Connor McDavid, who signed a two-year contract ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, is running out of patience. That was clear in his late-season media availability, with many believing the Oilers may only have one more kick in the can with him on their roster.

There is a lot of work to be done on the Oilers roster this offseason. Before that, however, they need to find a new coach. They opted to part ways with Kris Knoblauch this past week, and have been heavily linked to Bruce Cassidy. That makes sense considering they are looking for someone with more experience behind the bench at the NHL level. That said, the Vegas Golden Knights made things very difficult, leading the Oilers to talk to another experienced bench manager himself.

Oilers Set to Talk to Berube

Knoblauch wasn’t the only head coach to come off the jobless list, as the Toronto Maple Leafs fired Craig Berube last week. The 60-year-old player, who led St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup in 2019, he spent just two seasons behind the Maple Leafs bench.

It is no surprise that teams will be interested in Berube. However, many did not expect the Oilers to be part of that group, but it appears to be the case, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported on Monday that general manager (GM) Stan Bowman and his staff received permission from the Maple Leafs to talk to Berube.

Public opinion on the report is mixed. On the other hand, you have some who like the old school attitude that Berube offers. He is a passionate coach and is not afraid to let the players know where he stands with him. His level of fitness will certainly bring something much different to the team than what they were getting from Knoblauch.

The problem, however, is Berube’s track record, especially since it hasn’t been that strong. When you look at his time with the Maple Leafs, it’s hard to understand how almost every single player went down during his time. Take the example of Auston Matthews, who scored 69 goals the season before Berube was hired. He went on to score 60 goals in a combined two seasons under Berube. It’s true that injuries played a role in his struggles, but it doesn’t seem like Berube’s presence benefited him.

The same can be said for William Nylander, who after a 98-point season in 2023-24, became the most consistent player under Berube. Overall, the team has gone down several categories under Berube, especially offensively.

The season before Berube took over, the Maple Leafs averaged 3.63 goals per game, good enough for second among all 32 NHL teams. That dropped to 3.26 in Berube’s first season in Toronto, before dropping to 3.07 in 2025-26. That ranks 16th among all NHL teams.

Defensively, things got worse under Berube in 2025-26. To his credit, he was able to reach that spot when he first arrived in Toronto, as they averaged just 2.79 goals per game. That defensive improvement went completely by the wayside in 2025-26, as they gave up a stellar 3.60 goals against per game. The only worst team in that category is the Vancouver Canucks, who finished the season with just 25 wins.

Oilers Have Better Options Available

Based on what we’ve seen from Berube, especially during his time with the Maple Leafs, it doesn’t seem like he’s a good fit on paper for the Oilers. Ideally, Cassidy is a boy, although it remains to be seen if he will be arrested in Edmonton. Otherwise, other veteran options, including Peter Laviolette and Dean Evason, would both be better fits for this program.