With a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night (Nov. 15), the Anaheim Ducks ended their six-game homestand in good fashion. Good news has been in short supply in Anaheim – four players went down with injuries last week, while their 2-4 home stretch pushed their record to 6-8-2 and seventh in the Pacific Division.
Despite the recent feel-good victory, there are significant questions surrounding the Ducks and where they stand in their multi-year rebuild. With the lack of results on the ice, head coach Greg Cronin has been one of those questions. Cronin, in his second season as Anaheim’s bench manager, was hired by general manager Pat Verbeek as his first NHL head coach. His progress at the grassroots level, especially his work with the US National Team Development Program (USNTDP), attracted the fledgling club like the Ducks, but he was not proven as a professional at the highest level.
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An inadequate roster would justify his 33-58-7 record, but the unhealthy losing streak that was a staple of the Dallas Eakins era entered the second year of Cronin’s reign. As a head coach, constantly considering forward lines and misusing the talent he has is a bad reflection on him.
Ducks Go Through Series Of Line Changes
Another major problem is the team’s lack of forward lines. Some “forward pairings” circle the line together – Trevor Zegras and Cutter Gauthier, Troy Terry and Frank Vatrano are two examples – but that consensus has changed in recent games. Robby Fabbri’s injury has brought another linebacker, with Jansen Harkins pulling in each of the last two contests.
A good way to check out Anaheim’s deployment is through their shared ice time networks, according to HockeyViz. The consistent play shows, especially against a team like the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets are as hot as the league’s hottest team, but the matchup between the two clubs shows the added hurdle the Ducks face when the lineups are changed so often.
The Ducks Stars Don’t Play Their Games Anymore
Another issue facing the Ducks is how their other cores are playing. Zegras had three points in 15 games before scoring Anaheim’s second goal Friday night and rarely looked dangerous. Cronin’s commitment to making Zegras a two-way player has been mentioned repeatedly, especially since the player’s production has dipped to 19 points in 47 games over the past two seasons.
To his credit, Zegras has made improvements in his position, though that may be due to the 23-year-old continuing to adjust to the pace of NHL play. Now he has gained the confidence of the coaching staff that he can close out the win, which is a good thing. However, he was ranked ninth in 2019 in driving offense and scoring. While Anaheim remains a low-scoring team, Zegras’ absence from the scoresheet will ensure that those close chances are few and far between.
Zegras isn’t the only big name in danger of rising. Mason McTavish has struggled with penalties during Cronin’s tenure and racked up 14 penalty minutes in 13 games before his injury. His 8 points are tied for third on the team, but he is scoring at a much lower rate than last season. Additionally, Pavel Mintyukov spent parts of his rookie season looking like he would develop into a Norris-caliber defender and has now lost the top power-play job to Olen Zellweger. He and teammate Brian Dumoulin appear to be an option on defensive zone faceoffs, a change from last season when nearly half of his snaps came on the offensive end.
Ducks Quickly Reach the ‘Do Something’ Stage
The Ducks have been rebuilding for six years. Fans have been excited by moves that promise a bright future – a high-profile draft pick with a potential star, a regime change at general manager, and even a logo redesign have given fans something to cling to, but grace doesn’t last forever.
Verbeek can’t be satisfied with the ice product. During training camp, he envisioned his team making meaningful plays and in the hunt for the playoffs. Whether it’s a significant trade or a coaching change, something needs to be done to show Ducks fans that the rebuild is headed in the right direction. For Verbeek, inactivity is neglect.
A less complicated move would be to relieve Cronin of his duties. However, average managers can hire too many and the next firing before finding their job security at risk. Verbeek dragged his feet in making Cronin’s first hire by allowing Eakins to see out the end of his contract. Because of that, I don’t think he’s eager to go back to the decision he made less than 18 months ago.
As a former player, he is no stranger to locker room situations and knows very well what it’s like to be a coach who has lost his team. In the meantime, Zegras’ emotionless goal celebration on Friday night will have to serve as a poor window of communication between the players and the coach.
Statistics courtesy of Hockey-Reference. Faceoff data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.
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