Ranking the best fit of remaining head coaching jobs for Craig Berube

ST. LOUIS -- One head coaching vacancy filled earlier this week, another opened. It leaves now five jobs that need a new coach in the NHL.

There are options for former St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube, who was fired Dec.12, 2023 and is a hot commodity for one of the remaining coaching positions.

The Ottawa Senators filled theirs with Travis Green, who was the interim coach of the New Jersey Devils after taking over for the fired Lindy Ruff, who has since taken over the head coaching vacancy of the Buffalo Sabres for the second time (don't you just love these cycles), and the Toronto Maple Leafs opened their head coaching position when they fired Sheldon Keefe on Thursday.

So that leaves the jobs of the Leafs, Devils, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets open. Does Berube land into one of those roles? His name is rumored to be in line to return as bench boss somewhere this season, but where?

Let's rank this list from 1-5 where Berube, his coaching style and the rosters currently in place at each of those teams, are best suited for the 2019 Stanley Cup champion-winning coach:

1. Winnipeg Jets

When longtime coach and good guy Rick Bowness announced his retirement earlier this week, I immediately thought Craig Berube would be ideal for the Jets.

The Jets forecheck, they play hard, they punish, they hit, and they have a skill set that the Blues had when Berube was successful here.

Remember the 2019 first-round series between the Blues and Jets? How tough it was going to be for whoever got out of that round? Two teams that mirrored each other as far as playing style?

Winnipeg has a world-class goalie [Connor Hellebuyck]; the Jets have a stingy defense that is capable of playing physical and doesn't give up a ton (although the Colorado Avalanche would like a word following this season's first-round series), and there are enough skill guys (Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor) to ignite offense, a captain [Adam Lowry] that reeks of being a Berube-type of player, and a world-class defenseman [Josh Morrissey] in the mold of what Berube had here in St. Louis with Alex Pietrangelo.

Winnipeg is a winner now, it had a great regular season; now the Jets need a new voice that has the experience to push and prod, hold those accountable in the right ways, to maybe elevate the Jets further along in the playoffs.

Blues fans would hate it, and the Jets have been a thorn in their side for a bit, but for Berube, this would be an ideal roster for his style.

2. Seattle Kraken

This team is a mystery to be in certain ways, but when I look at the Kraken, I see a good mix of speed and players that put in hard work. Seattle may not be a big, bruising type of team in the sense that Berube liked here in St. Louis, but the Kraken has a number of guys that put in the hard work and are very gritty.

Seattle doesn't have any superstar talent on its roster, but it does have a group of skaters that plays as a hard, five-man unit. Oh, and there's Jaden Schwartz and Vince Dunn, two guys Berube loved here in St. Louis who played their behinds off for him, and at the time, Berube trusted a young Dunn to be a key cog.

Seattle would be an intriguing spot, since the Kraken were a 100-point team two seasons ago, then dropped off this season (much like the Blues after their 109-point 2021-22 season before falling to 81 points in 2022-23). The Kraken has a roster that can get back in the mix with the right guidance, and with their willingness to play hard with a relentless style of cycling pucks and checking, Berube would use Schwartz as a guide to get that group to buy in.

Plus, there's a good mix of younger guys, led by Matty Beniers, that Berube could get his hands on and help mold.

Who do you think helped make Ivan Barbashev the player he is today?

3. Toronto Maple Leafs

Some would consider this THE JOB. The Leafs are a perrenial playoff team, one that's loaded with star talent, one that receives plenty of attention and is the most valued franchise in the NHL, according to Forbes.

You get to coach today's generational scorer Auston Matthews, other top-skill guys in William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares, and a top d-man in Morgan Rielly.

The Leafs are intriguing because although they're more known for their skill and willingness to outscore opponents, they had the penchant of playing structured defensively as well.

And if they're just looking for a coach that will hold these high-priced players accountable, particularly when games matter most in the playoffs, then they have their guy.

Berube's not a high profile person, and although Keefe wasn't either, he came from within the organization coaching the AHL's Toronto Marlies, winning a title there in 2017-18.

Can the Maple Leafs culture handle Berube's tough-minded, sturdy message? That would be the challenge. And could be enforce some tough love, which apparently is needed within that roster and organization? He would do his best. The players would have to be accepting and willing. If not, then Berube's not the right fit.

If he were to get hired here, this would be one heck of a challenge, but one worth tackling considering Toronto's talent-laden roster.

4. New Jersey Devils

This is the job that makes sense from a geographical standpoint since Berube lives outside of Philadelphia, and there has been a lot of smoke surrounding this job being liked to Berube.

I like the skill players the Devils possess [Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier] and Luke Hughes is an up-and-coming blue liner, but the Devils like to play a higher octane game, which means a lot of transition play, rush plays.

We all saw that was Berube's downfall here when the Blues began to transition into this style of play. I'm just not sure this is the right fit from a schematical standpoint.

And New Jersey needs to figure out its goaltending, which was the Devils' greatest woe last season. They did bring in former Blue Jake Allen, who relinquished his starting job for Jordan Binnington in 2019 but wound up winning a Cup with Berube, but is that a long-term fix? I doubt it.

If Berube can accept his skill guys are going to play a skillful game and allow them to be who they are, then perhaps he can get the Devils back to good graces after New Jersey, like the Blues two years ago and Seattle last season, fell out of the playoffs this past season following a 112-point season.

There's lots to like about this job. I just have a mixed reaction if Berube's style is the right fit.

5. San Jose Sharks

I almost feel like I should move the Sharks up further, because when Berube was with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, he was fine-tuning the organization's prospects (Barbashev, etc.) to be ready for NHL play.

No doubt, the Sharks have themselves quite a prospect pool of young players, some already in the organization [William Eklund], some on the way [Will Smith, Quentin Musty] and another [Macklin Celebrini] who is likely to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

There will be better days ahead for the Sharks, but this is a rebuild, and I'm of the belief Berube doesn't want that situation, especially one that could take multiple years to get on track.

I feel if anyone could do it, he can since Berube has for the most part the respect of players and communicates with them well. This just feels like a job for a younger coach, perhaps someone looking to make the next step up from the college ranks perhaps, to tackle.