Berube May Not Be Best Stylistic Fit for Devils

The New Jersey Devils could become an elite defensive team under Craig Berube, but their offense could suffer as a result.

---

Follow us on Twitter: @AlexC_NJD, @NJD_OnTheRush

---

With Mike Sullivan looking less and less likely for the New Jersey Devils, even if the Toronto Maple Leafs fire Sheldon Keefe, general manager Tom Fitzgerald will have to turn to other coaching options. 

Elliotte Friedman and Darren Dreger reported the Devils are talking to former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft. But the most smoke right now seems to be around Craig Berube. Multiple reports have said he's a serious candidate for the Devils, but how serious a candidate should he be? His Blues tenure suggests the Devils should think twice about making him their top choice. 

The Blues Under Berube

Berube made an immediate difference for the St. Louis Blues when they hired him as their interim coach in the middle of the 2018-19 season, replacing Mike Yeo. They were in last place in the NHL at the time of the change, not just the Central Division. 

The Blues went on a heater from that point on, skyrocketing up the standings and going 38-19-6 under Berube as the interim coach. They were legitimately good, too, posting a 55.32 expected goals share (xG%) and some elite defensive numbers, allowing just 2.08 expected goals per 60. 

Their strong play continued in the playoffs, and they went on to defeat the Boston Bruins in seven games to claim their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. Obviously, the Blues removed the interim tag from Berube and named him the permanent coach. 

It's hard to repeat or top that performance in your first season as the coach, but the Blues had another solid campaign in 2019-20, going 42-19-10 in the regular season before the pandemic shut down the world. Their five-on-five numbers dipped, but a 50.02 xG% is decent enough. 

The 2020-21 season was a significant change for the Blues. Alex Pietrangelo left for the Vegas Golden Knights during free agency in October, and that's when the roster, in general, began declining. The Blues went 27-20-9 during the COVID-shortened season and had a woeful xG% of 46.1 percent. What was most concerning was they only generated 1.97 expected goals per 60 offensively. 

The Blues did rebound under Berube in 2021-22, finishing 49-22-10, but they did it behind a hot power play and some elite shooting. They had a 47.2 xG% and allowed 2.73 expected goals per 60 defensively at five-on-five. 

That would essentially be it for Berube with the Blues. They missed the playoffs a season ago, going 37-38-9 during the regular season. They finished with a 44.39 xG% in 2022-23, couldn't generate offense, and couldn't play defense or prevent quality chances. They'd go on to fire him earlier this season.