ANAHEIM, Calif. — (AP) — Coach Greg Cronin was fired by the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday after two losing seasons, with general manager Pat Verbeek saying his team needs a new voice to achieve significant results from its lengthy rebuilding process.
Verbeek refused to disclose any concrete reasons why he fired Cronin, although he told reporters that the Ducks' 35-37-10 record in their seventh consecutive non-playoff season was not the cause. He also said the Ducks' dressing room culture wasn't a problem, and he didn't fire Cronin because of his inability to end Anaheim's long-term struggles to score goals.
“There's things that we can easily point to,” Verbeek said. “You could probably look at the power play. You can look at the penalty killing. But I didn't look at that. There was other reasons, and I shared those with Greg, and they were private conversations that I want to remain private as to why.”
Verbeek also said he expects the Ducks to make the playoffs next season, making that declaration for the first time in his 3 1/2-year tenure in their front office — but the team with the third-fewest goals in the NHL this season will move in a new direction behind the bench.
Cronin went 62-87-15 in Anaheim, which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2018 during the longest drought in franchise history. The Ducks’ 80 points this season were a 21-point improvement over last year, but weren’t enough to contend for a playoff spot — and not enough to save Cronin’s job.
Verbeek told Cronin of his decision at an early morning meeting Saturday at the Ducks' lavish training complex in Irvine, and the Ducks hurriedly announced the change shortly afterward.
“I would say he was completely shocked,” Verbeek said of Cronin. “Which is probably normal from his perspective. That's why this was very difficult, and probably didn't make a lot of sense to him. Maybe at some point, I'll be able to dive in with him deeper than I was able in the conversations we had today.”
Cronin was the first head coaching hire by Verbeek, who inherited Dallas Eakins behind the bench when he replaced Bob Murray in February 2022. Cronin had spent the previous five seasons in charge of Colorado’s AHL affiliate when he finally secured his first NHL head coaching job after 36 years spent coaching at all levels of hockey.
While Cronin was both praised and criticized for his demanding, direct style of leadership, the Ducks' problems under Cronin really came down to one insurmountable problem on the ice: They were 30th in the NHL in scoring during his two seasons, averaging just 2.56 goals per game despite a wealth of young offensive talent, homegrown leading scorer Troy Terry and several veteran forwards acquired by Verbeek as free agents.
Anaheim's power play was particularly awful, finishing last in the league this season while scoring on just 11.8% of its chances.
But none of that mattered when Verbeek was evaluating Cronin's job performance, according to the first-time GM who came into Anaheim predicting he would need three to five years to rebuild a team that had stumbled after winning five straight Pacific Division titles and reaching two Western Conference finals from 2013-17.
“From my perspective, the team is right on course, and we’re improving,” Verbeek said. “Sometimes you have to look at scenarios where a voice is needed to push this group to another level.”
But with even his own generous rebuilding window nearing its limit, Verbeek is ready to see some fruits.
“My expectation of this team is to make the playoffs next season,” Verbeek said. “I expect our group to take a step, and so I'm going to be active and aggressive in making our team better.”
Anaheim finished 12th in the Western Conference this season, 16 points out of the second wild-card spot. The Ducks have the NHL's third-longest active playoff drought, trailing only Buffalo and Detroit.
Verbeek said he will make another lengthy coaching search after he took nearly two months to hire Cronin in 2023. While Verbeek said he wouldn't be afraid to hire another first-time head coach, the Ducks' next bench boss will inherit a talented young core.
Anaheim’s 178 points from players age 22 or younger (74 goals, 104 assists) were second to San Jose. That young cast includes center Mason McTavish, who led the team with 22 goals and was second in points with 52. McTavish will be a restricted free agent this summer — as will goalie Lukas Dostal, whose standout play may have masked a lack of overall defensive progress by Anaheim's skaters.
Center Leo Carlsson, the second overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft, grew into a solid NHL scorer with 20 goals and 44 points, while left wing Cutter Gauthier had 20 goals and 44 points in his promising first full season. The core also features defensemen Pavel Mintyukov, Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger.
Anaheim had six players with at least 19 goals this season for the first time since 2007, but no player who scored more than McTavish's 22. The Ducks still finished 30th in the league in goals per game.
Cronin was the first coach fired since the regular season ended on Thursday. The Rangers fired Peter Laviolette a few hours later. Chicago and Philadelphia also have interim coaches.
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AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy contributed to this report.
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