The Edmonton Oilers have taken another step in their coaching search after the firing of former head coach Kris Knoblauch this month.
Edmonton parted ways with Knoblauch following a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks, a letdown that came on the heels of back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs also moved on from their coach, Craig Berube, after missing the postseason for the first time in a decade.
Toronto fired Berube after his second season at the helm. The Leafs' 32-36-14 finish left the team at the bottom of the Atlantic Division and with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. The result came one year after the Maple Leafs won the division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman in Monday's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, the Oilers have now been granted permission to interview Berube as part of their search for a new head coach.
Berube would bring championship experience to Edmonton, having guided the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup title in 2019. Over 10 seasons as an NHL head coach, Berube has a 365-252-90 regular-season record to go with a 34-37 mark in the playoffs.
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“When we performed our analysis and our review about where we headed as a team, we just felt that we needed a different voice to lead us to where we want to get to,” Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said about Knoblauch's firing.
Prior reports indicate the Oilers sought permission to speak with former Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy, though that request was denied.
