Berube: Kyrou just didn't know what to say about firing

Craig Berube believes Jordan Kyrou's comments about him weren't malicious, even though they caused fans to boo the forward.

"Listen, I've got no issue with it," the former Blues head coach said on "The Ray & Dregs Hockey Podcast" on Wednesday. "He got caught off guard and didn't know what to say. He's young. A lot of these young guys get asked questions at the time and they're not thinking like they should think and it's tough for them."

The Blues fired Berube last Wednesday. The next day, Kyrou was asked about the ex-bench boss and said, "I've got no comment. He's not my coach anymore." Blues fans then booed Kyrou during a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators later that evening.

Kyrou got emotional when discussing the situation after the game. He said it was "definitely the toughest game I've probably played," and that he understood why the fans got upset given how it may have seemed. But the 25-year-old insisted he meant no harm.

Berube was pleased to see Kyrou respond with a goal and two assists in a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars two days later.

"I was happy for Jordan," Berube said, adding that Kyrou reached out to him amid the controversy. "He came back and had a good game against Dallas, a very good team. So he performed well, and he'll be fine."

Kyrou racked up a career-best 37 goals while adding 36 assists over 79 games in 2022-23. A season earlier, he notched 27 tallies and a career-high 48 helpers in 74 contests. However, even after his multi-point outing against the Stars, Kyrou has only six goals and 15 assists over 31 games in 2023-24.

The Blues conclude a two-game visit to Florida when they face the Panthers on Thursday night. The Tampa Bay Lightning walloped St. Louis 6-1 on Tuesday.