Philadelphia Flyers fans must wait to learn the fate of Craig Berube.
As speculation swirls around Berube’s future with the team, general manager Ron Hextall addressed media in Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon but said he is still going through due process in evaluating his head coach.
“At this point he’s our head coach,” Hextall said. “At this point the decision hasn’t been made.”
The 49-year-old Berube, whose club failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, still has one season remaining on his contract.
The Flyers went 33-31-18 this season and finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division.
Forward Vincent Lecavalier spoke to reporters Monday and explained that he can’t see himself having success as a Flyer as long as Berube is behind the bench.
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Flyers owner Ed Snider believes Philadelphia is talented enough to be in the playoffs and spoke clearly about his dissatisfaction in the team’s 2014-15 campaign last month.
“I’m not a knee-jerk type of guy,” said Hextall, who met with Berube Sunday. “I want to be methodical. I want to make the right decision.”
Berube began his tenure as head coach on Oct. 7, 2013, once the Flyers axed Peter Laviolette after a 0-3-0 start. The team improved under Berube and secured a spot in the 2014 NHL playoffs.
Failing to continue that success in 2015, the coach told reporters Monday he is not bothered by the rumours that he will be replaced.
“I’m just going about my business, meetings and things that have to be cleaned up at the end of the year,” Berube said. “What bothers me is not making the playoffs and the season we had. We all expected more.”
Hextall said he plans to arrive at a decision “as soon as possible” and inform Berube immediately after doing so.
