Craig Berube Is Forced To Play The Waiting Game
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The fate of Flyers Coach Craig Berube was expected to be announced on Wednesday. Instead, the wait will continue for the coach and the fans.
Flyers General Manager Ron Hextall met with the media and was quickly questioned about the fate of his coach. Hextall not only revealed he is still evaluating Berube's status, but said there is no timetable for a decision.
"You evaluate everything," said Hextall. "There were 82 games and six months. It's a long time. It's a lot of stuff for me to sift through. I'm not a knee-jerk guy. That's not the way I operate. When I come to that decision, Craig will be the first to know."
The decision of Berube will be one of several questions for what should be a long off-season. The Flyers missed the playoffs for the second time in three years, and Hextall talked about the disappointment everyone is feeling after being one game away from the second round a year ago.
"I really believe our guys are disappointed," Hextall said. "I think their thinking was along the same lines as ours as an organization was, which essentially was that we were a good enough team to be in the playoffs. If we weren't, it's a different story if we laid everything out there and played as well as we could have every night and were consistent. We'd be in the playoffs."
But there are no playoffs for the Flyers once again, so the question remains if the Flyers are good enough to return to the post-season next year no matter who is behind the bench. Hextall understands changes need to be made, but also expressed confidence in the nucleus of players returning. He added he won't sacrifice the future for a quick fix.
"We are not going to throw away are future to try and win the Stanley Cup Next year. I can assure you of that. Are we going to try and win the Stanley Cup? Yes, along with the 29 other teams. But we are not going to trade top young players for 29 and 30-year-olds to try and take a run at the Cup."
Berube's exit could hinge on the availability of several top coaches. The likes of Mike Babcock, Claude Julien and Todd McLellan could all be available, but Hextall insists this decision will be based solely on Berube's performance.
"This is singular in itself," Hextall said. "There's no waiting around to see if someone becomes available. It's not part of the equation."
Meanwhile, Beube continues to play the waiting game on his future.