Berube Buzz in Edmonton — And Suddenly McDavid’s Future Feels Uncertain

The Edmonton Oilers have received permission to speak with former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, per both TSN’s Ryan Rishaug and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Following the news that Edmonton is set to interview him after some informal conversations, Oilers fans and media are reacting, and many of the reactions aren’t at all positive.

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In fact, quite a few are suggesting that if the Oilers go down the Berube road, fans can kiss Connor McDavid goodbye.

Fans and Media Hate the Idea of Berube and McDavid

Berube’s numbers were so horrid in 2025-26 and his style didn’t mesh at all with a Maple Leafs team that had elite stars, how can his coaching possibly work with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl? Many believe it can’t.

Austin Hockey wrote, “The team is doing their “due diligence” but Berube is someone I wouldn’t even speak to personally. One of the worst coaches available, and it’s not particularly close. If they hire him, you can kiss McDavid goodbye within a year and watch the Cup window slam shut in real time.”

Another fan wrote, “The absolute most Oiler thing to happen would be to hire Craig Berube in a year where you could lose Connor McDavid.”

Managing editor of The Leafs Nation, Arun Srinivasan said, “I don’t think Berube’s approach to the game will match McDavid or Draisaitl’s more cerebral approach. I don’t know how much patience McDavid will have when Berube suggests his team didn’t transport the puck going north-south well enough.”

Getting more specifically into the analytics side of things in Toronto last season, Jonathan Willis gave his two cents on how bad an idea it is. He wrote, “Toronto’s power play implodes, its 5v5 goal share and expected goal share collapse, it allows more shots than anyone else in the league, it can’t defend a lead, and of its two stars one guy is gone and the other guy looks like a shadow of himself.” When a fan pointed out to Willis that it was just an interview, he responded, “It’s a little like when a team interviews Peter Chiarelli for a GM job. It indicates process.”

Charlie O’Connor added, “I think Berube is a good coach. It’s tough for me to imagine him delivering the results in St. Louis that he did if he was actually bad. But as far as stylistic & situational team comps for Edmonton go, Toronto is probably the closest, no? And Berube clearly didn’t work there…”

These are just a few of the reactions that are out there in the wake of news that the Oilers want to interview Toronto’s ex-coach. In other words, there is a ton of pushback.

The hope among most of these people is that this is a tactic or maneuver to make it appear as though the Oilers are speaking to everyone, thus limiting Bruce Cassidy’s leverage as they wait for permission to interview him. Alternatively, the Oilers are just looking for nuggets they can pluck from the interview, but have no intention of hiring Berube, who is from Alberta.

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