Maple Leafs' Coach Accidentally Reveals the Secret to Fixing the Oilers' Power Play

Sometimes the best advice comes from someone who doesn’s intend to offer it. As per a quote by writer Luke Fox, while speaking with Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, the Leafs’ bench boss might have offered up the trick to Edmonton’s solving their power play issues.

During an interview, Berube discussed the importance of movement on the power play, which ultimately led to some critical insight that could potentially aid the Edmonton Oilers in turning things around and transforming their struggling power play unit.

The conversation, which initially appeared harmless, has somewhat turned into an unanticipated coaching clinic, spilling some insightful advice that could realistically end up benefiting the Edmonton Oilers. According to Berube, "When everybody is standing still on the power play - it's a lot better to be the puck mover and be the puck receiver than the puck carrier... It's tougher for the (penalty kill) when you are moving the puck... That is when you get your openings."

This statement by Berube shines light on exactly what has gone wrong for the Oilers. The Edmonton team has been stationary for extended periods, and as Berube has highlighted, this renders them vulnerable as there’s simply not enough movement to unsettle the opposition and make them scramble on the penalty kill. Consequently, Edmonton can’t create openings as effectively as other more dynamic teams, resulting in sub-standard performances on the power play.

Despite this minor breakthrough, one can’t help but feel there’s still some crucial components missing from Edmonton’s recipe for power play success. To complement this newly acquired knowledge, it’s going to be necessary for some experimentation with different player configurations to help exploit the openings.