Ducks’ Greg Cronin Has Options Ahead of Second Year as Head Coach – Hockey Writers – Anaheim Ducks

Training camps across the NHL are officially underway, meaning everyone from owners, managers, coaching staffs, players, media, and everyone in between is gathered at practice facilities across North America in anticipation of the 2024-25 season. The Anaheim Ducks had an eventful week that started with the Rookie Faceoff and has since included the naming of rugged Radko Gudas as the team’s ninth captain and several practice sessions at Great Park Ice in Irvine, CA. The session continued today as the entire training camp program was divided into three groups.

Second-year head coach Greg Cronin will have time to take a closer look at seasoned veterans, pending rookies, high-flying prospects, professional tryout (PTO) players, and everyone else in the next few weeks before making several important personnel decisions. next season. Today, let’s review his first season as an NHL head coach, highlight some of those big decisions, and set expectations for Cronin and his staff.

The First Season Was a Mixed Bag for Cronin

From a positional perspective, the Ducks’ marginal improvement to a 27-50-5 record in 2023-24 from 23-47-12 in 2022-23 isn’t much to write home about. They won four more games but collected points from three fewer games in total. They scored five fewer goals but also gave up 42 fewer. It resulted in a one-point improvement. So, not all are unique. However, in the intelligence of the workers there is a big difference. There were veterans out to hold valuable spots in the lineup and there were young players who deserved their chance to be everyday players. This is what Cronin inherited — a loaded pipeline, a roster full of holes, more questions than answers, and an organization coming off its worst season in franchise history.

This change brought growing pains felt in all phases of the game – even power play, power play, penalty kill, offense, defense, you name it. But it all got worse because of the injury and punishment problem the Ducks found themselves in. It felt like from Game 1 to 82 he was facing no roster spots or being held back/paid for games due to misconduct. In that sense, it was an up-and-down season that didn’t give the Ducks, or Cronin, a chance to gain a foothold.

A coach’s job is to set the tone. Developing a philosophy that inspires and can be learned, imitated, and followed. Cronin said all the right things before and during last season, from teaching his players to commit on both ends, to making sure they commit to details, competing hard, and understanding the process. There were times when it seemed to stick, but other times it left you scratching your head, wondering if you were getting through to the players at all. For a team that took 30 fewer penalties than the next closest team, it was fair to wonder that.

This is a Reset Opportunity for Players and Coaches alike

In the same way that the upcoming campaign is a reset for many ducks, it is also a reset for Cronin. It’s not that he did a bad job; he didn’t. His work so far in his career has been player development. Capacity building and programs. Long-term things you can’t really judge a coach on after one season, let alone full of the changes, injuries, and morale issues we’ve discussed. This long-term thinking is what made him choose a team full of young players and opportunities.

Related: 4 Ducks Bold Predictions for 2024-25 Season

A new season brings excitement, new opportunities, and a clean slate that can benefit everyone. It’s important to understand the wins and learnings from last season, which were evident in his postseason comments to the media shortly after the season ended. This is an important season for the club as they continue to climb out of the rebuilding phase and towards contention, so entering training camp clean will be especially helpful as they make key decisions in various areas.

Cronin Has Important Decisions To Make

After finishing five straight in the Western Conference across six rebuilding seasons, the Ducks need to take a step forward this season, plain and simple. Ultimately, this comes down to the players playing. Cronin, however, needs to organize them in order to succeed, which will require him to make many important personnel decisions. Let’s look at a few:

Offensive Combos

Loaded with talent up front, Cronin needs to maximize the talents of Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, Troy Terry, Leo Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier. Does that mean putting them all on the top two front lines, or would they be better served swinging alongside veterans like Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano? Both of those veterans found success last season playing with some of these young pitchers, and from the looks of training camp so far, they’ll get a chance to do it again. It may take some testing, but Cronin should find combinations that lead to more goals, which the Ducks desperately need if they’re going to be relevant in 2024-25. They scored just 204 goals last season, good for 2.48 goals per game. That just won’t cut it. A healthy Zegra and an energetic Gauthier will provide a boost, though.

Defensive Combos

The Ducks are equally loaded with power on the blue line, but they also come down to ideal pairings. Pavel Mintyukov, when healthy, should command the top pairing slot because he has both the offensive and defensive tools to be a complete defender. Is Cronin paired with a smooth skating veteran like Cam Fowler? Or a reliable, defensive-first guy like Gudas? Also, who plays every day? With guys like Olen Zellweger, Tristan Luneau, Jackson LaCombe, Brian Dumoulin, and Urho Vaakanainen competing for the second and third pairing spots, no one is going to be there.

A mix of veterans and young players on the blue line is what the Ducks need to keep the goals out of the net. They need guys who will be difficult for the forwards. Gudas and Dumoulin should lead the way in that.

Tandem steering

Is it time for Lukáš Dostál to replace John Gibson as the starter in Anaheim? It’s hard to say, but Dostál certainly made his case last season when he took over late in the campaign. Gibson is a seasoned and cool veteran, which could be just what the Ducks, who will also be one of the youngest teams in the league, need early on to settle down. Big decisions for Cronin come Cronin’s way.

Special Groups

Ah, sweet things. The Ducks have smarts, skill, confidence, and offensive excitement all over the roster, but what does it mean on the powerplay? And who will play in it? There is enough talent to make both Ducks power play units dangerous and fun to watch. I’m excited to see how Cronin and his staff experiment with combinations.

In terms of the penalty kill, this should be a veteran-laden team. You need killers to push guys and punish them for trying to get the puck to the net. That was not enough last season. Both the power play and penalty killing need to improve, both in conversion percentage and volume. Draw more penalties, take less, and kill more than last season.

Cronin, Like Players, Will Be Biggest Improvements in 2024-25

Heading into a second season as head coach should be more comfortable for Cronin. There are new faces, but he is familiar with many of his players. No settling in his new place is required. His philosophies took a year to sink in. Now, you can just focus on testing, the X’s and O’s, and setting this team up for success on the ice. It’s crunch time now, but his season of experience, combined with the familiarity and improved health of his roster should position Cronin and the Ducks to be even better this season. Hitting a standing score of 70-75 is achievable and should be considered a disappointment if they can’t get there.