IRVINE, Calif. – When it came to the “why” of why the Anaheim Ducks chose to fire coach Greg Cronin on Saturday, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek left the specifics shrouded in mystery.
Anaheim was 30th in goals scored with a league-worst power play, dead last in the league in expected goals allowed at five-on-five and held a 27th-ranked penalty kill. Despite a 21-point standings increase, the Ducks also missed the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season.
However, Verbeek said those things didn’t factor into his decision to fire Cronin. Verbeek assessed the team month by month, and as the end-of-year assessments came up, those monthly evaluations added up to the need for change.
“I would say in the end it wasn't really about the wins and losses,” Verbeek said. “I think that when I talked about the concerns, some of those were things that in my opinion could not be overcome with whatever measuring stick you wanted to apply to it. So with that and my experience, as a player and being a manager, I thought at this time it was the right time to make the change and for our team to move forward.”
Verbeek also said that the decision wasn’t about the culture of the team or anything said by the Ducks players. He chose privacy for his remarks.
“There’s things we can easily point to. You could probably look at the power play, and look at the penalty killing,” Verbeek said, “but I didn't look at that. There was other reasons, and basically, I shared those reasons with Greg, and they were private conversations and I want them to remain private as to why.”
Cronin was “completely shocked” by the decision, according to Verbeek, but again, the general manager refused to elaborate.
“No, it’s like, I can’t,” Verbeek said. “Those are private conversations that I had with the coach, and I'd like them to remain private and confidential in my discussions with the coach. So, it's like, no, I can't elaborate. Those are private conversations and I want them to remain there.”
Whatever the reasons ultimately were, the Ducks now turn to searching for a new head coach just two years after hiring Cronin.
A new head coach will inherit a Ducks team loaded with young talent–both offensive and defensive–that showed tremendous individual improvements this season, as the team played towards a goal of “meaningful games.” It was a goal Verbeek said the team even surpassed, staying mathematically in the race until just inside April.
“From my perspective, the team’s 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 and obviously, I think that you look at the teams that are in the playoffs, we need 10 more wins and that's what we need to figure out to get done for next season. I'm going to look for those answers with the new coach.”
Verbeek said he doesn’t have a particular timeline in mind for the hiring process other than starting immediately or any specific candidates lined up for the position. Verbeek said the net will be cast wide with no options eliminated.
“Am I looking for some sort of specific coach? No,” Verbeek said. I think that I'm going to go through the interview process, and I will probe and poke and ask questions to where, you know, certain things that I think our group needs, and see how it all shakes down. I'm open to any type of coach at this point. I’m not shutting down anything.
“I'm going to look to hire the best candidate for this team and what it needs moving forward.”
There are some promising options available, depending on which way Verbeek looks.
Verbeek said he wasn’t against hiring another rookie head coach, which opens up University of Denver coach David Carle, easily the coaching candidate with the most league-wide buzz. Carle, who led the Pioneers to two NCAA championships, has connections with Denver alum Troy Terry and with Cutter Gauthier, who Carle coached to World Junior gold with Team USA.
If Verbeek opted for a coach with more NHL experience, there is former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft or former Vegas Golden Knights boss Gerrard Gallant, or if he looks for a more hardened approach, there is recently fired Flyers coach John Tortorella or controversial former Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup coach Joel Quenneville.
Whichever direction, Verbeek’s attention was also drawn to upcoming free agency decisions.
On his own roster, Mason McTavish and Lukáš Dostál are restricted free agents this summer, and both were labelled as a priority.
“They're very important players to our organization, and the hardest thing is going to be to figure out what the contract looks like,” Verbeek said. “We're going to go through our due diligence. Obviously, we've got lots of time to work through this. The offseason's just starting, and I’ve actually had conversations with both agents before the season had ended.”
Verbeek also reiterated the need to address the team’s scoring woes by acquiring an offensive forward. The Ducks made large offers to two of the top free agents last season–Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault–and both reportedly took less to go to Nashville, which finished 12 points behind Anaheim this season.
The Ducks are going to be active and aggressive again this summer, Verbeek said, but with a slim free agency market this summer, if the Ducks do swing and miss on the top targets once again, Verbeek was asked if the trade market will open up for the necessity of a scoring forward.
“Obviously, we're going to have a bunch of different strategies going into that,” Verbeek said. “There'll be a bunch of different plans, depending on how–like I said, I'm going to be aggressive like I was last summer, but there'll be different plans put in place based on what happens on the different scenarios.”
Again on his current roster, Verbeek also addressed the status of Trevor Zegras and Jacob Trouba, as they enter the final years of their deals. Zegras will be a restricted free agent, and Trouba will be an unrestricted free agent. With one year left, both could sign extensions as soon as July 1.
“When the players are in those circumstances, we all take everything year by year,” Verbeek said. “I’m certainly going to be watching to see how each of them perform, and taking the whole course of the season to decide where we go. They're obviously quality hockey players. We've got a lot of quality hockey players in our system.
“There's going to be a lot of things that are going to happen and transpire, and we’ll have to be able to figure that out and assess that at the appropriate time.”
Another summer of change is already afoot in Orange County.
Below is a full transcript of the media availability with Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek on Saturday (questions and responses edited for clarity:
Opening remarks from Pat Verbeek:
First off, I'd like to thank Greg Cronin personally for his tireless work and dedication to our organization. Today was a very tough day for this to happen, and I think Greg was responsible in many ways for the improvement of this team. When we look at accountability, you look at the relevance that he brought this organization back to. I think that laying a solid foundation for all our young players and even some of our veterans has been very important.
So, as I went through this process, as I always do, I start to look at things when we probably went out of the playoff picture, I started to really start to look at things closer, and obviously, there were some concerns. Then, as I got closer to the end of the season, all the assessments is kind of when I really decided to make the change, and decided that it was the right time to take this team in a different direction and with a different voice.
Could you dig in a little bit more on what you didn't see that you wanted to see from this team?
I would say in the end it wasn't really about the wins and losses. I think that when I talked about the concerns, some of those were things that in my opinion could not be overcome with whatever measuring stick you wanted to apply to it. So with that and my experience, as a player and being a manager, I thought at this time it was the right time to make the change and for our team to move forward.
Were there any concerns off the ice in terms of the culture that Greg created in terms of what you want to see from a team day-in-day-out over an 82-game season that doesn't always just show up in statistics?
No. I think the culture that was built here is accountability, a constant work ethic was brought here. So, no, there wasn't any concerns in that area. No.
Were there some things as you looked under the hood, style of play, things just within the game itself, that swayed you toward making a change now as opposed to bringing Cronin back for another year?
There’s things we can easily point to. You could probably look at the power play, and look at the penalty killing. But I didn't look at that. There was other reasons, and basically, I shared those reasons with Greg, and they were private conversations and I want them to remain private as to why.
You credited Cronin with, in particular, some of the development of your young players, the players that you figure will be the core players for this group going forward. But was there enough improvement in your mind, and is it a thing of maybe another voice, another person will take that young core to a higher level?
I think that's a good question. I think certainly that's always in the back of your mind when you're going through your assessment, and all those are distinct possibilities of that happening. Some of that I would say went into it, but I think there's a lot of good things that happen too. So in some senses, it would be a mixed bag, I guess.
And did the possibility of other candidates being out there influence your decision?
No, I wouldn't say that. No, not at all. Obviously now, we're in a different scenario, where now, it’s much like the way I took the approach last time. The net's going to be casted wide. I'm not going to really eliminate any options, as far as my approach to the next coach.
Did you canvass the room? Did you to talk to the players in this decision? Was there discussion with ownership? And what were the kind of overriding feelings from those angles?
I mean you go through all of those things, but I wouldn't say necessarily any of those things influenced me. I have an open dialogue with our ownership all the time. These things get discussed in certain circumstances. I speak with Henry and Susan on a regular basis. So that gets talked about. This is always the usual stuff at the end of the season that transpires and this was no different. It was no different scenario or situation.
As you take your team to the next level, you've got an exciting core of young players, I think. How active do you see yourself being come free agency time? Big time players, medium time players? Like where do you see the growth?
I expect us to be very active and aggressive. I think I see this team at a point to where my expectation of this team is to make the playoffs next year. I expect our group to take a step, and so I'm going to be active and aggressive in making our team better.
You said that this wasn't about wins and losses, which obviously 21-point improvement is pretty substantial, and it wasn't culture, but you also said that there were things that couldn't be overcome. Could you give us any insight into what those things were?
No, it’s like, I can’t. Those are private conversations that I had with the coach, and I'd like them to remain private and confidential in my discussions with the coach. So, it's like, no, I can't elaborate. Those are private conversations and I want them to remain there.
You had talked about the expectation of coming into the season to challenge for a playoff spot. Obviously there were huge upgrades year over year on paper. Was this a matter of falling short of expectation or was it just kind of those mysterious sticking points?
No, I think last year, when we talked about at this particular time, maybe a little sooner, it was our goal or my goal for this team to be in the mix for the playoffs, playing meaningful games in March, and we actually went beyond March. I think there was, from that aspect, we attained what we had looked to attain.
When it comes to when you made the decision, you say you made it towards the end of the year, did you make it before talking to the players at the end? Or was this sort of an independent decision made by you and the staff?
No, I mean, I always talk to the players at the end. There's always discussions. None of that stuff ever am I influenced by. As I've gone through the assessment, I look at this team on a monthly basis. You start looking at things on a monthly basis. There's certain things that kind of crop up maybe two months in the season, and then when you start to go through this process, you just start adding things up. And when I started adding things up, I came to the decision that this was the right thing to do at this time. And so when I came to that conclusion, we came to today. That's pretty much it in a nutshell.
When it comes to going forward, do you have a timeline in mind of when you would like a coach installed by? And then what sort of qualities are you looking for in the next head coach of this team?
Qualities are–am I looking for some sort of specific coach? No. I think that I'm going to go through the interview process, and I will probe and poke and ask questions to where, you know, certain things that I think our group needs, and see how it all shakes down. I'm open to any type of coach at this point. I’m not shutting down anything.
Now, timeline. We're going to start the search and start to make a list immediately. Timeline, I really don't have a timeline on it. I'm going to look to hire the best candidate for this team and what it needs moving forward.
Respect that you want to keep these conversations private, the reasons, the real granular stuff that prompted you to make this change. From a fan's perspective, it looks like you've got a lot of talent on this roster that you have assembled over the last three and a half years. When you took the job three and a half years ago, you said it takes three to five years to do a rebuild probably. Is this in the broader sense, is it just a situation that you feel like you've assembled a team here that should have been better than it was this year, and you want to try something else to try to move this talent forward that you've got a lot of it signed for multiple years?
No, I think that from my perspective, the team’s right on course, and we're improving. Sometimes you have to look at scenarios to where a voice is needed to push this group to another level and obviously, I think that you look at the teams that are in the playoffs, we need 10 more wins and that's what we need to figure out to get done for next season. I'm going to look for those answers with the new coach.
Was Greg surprised or even blindsided?
I would say he was completely shocked, which is probably normal from his perspective, and 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 kind of dive in with him deeper than some of the conversations that we had today.
And then you just touched on a little bit on the summer. You've got two notable RFAs in Mason McTavish and Lukáš Dostál. What's your goal in terms of getting extensions, new contracts done for them sooner or later? What's your goal?
They’re priorities, obviously. They're very important players to our organization, and the hardest thing is going to be to figure out what the contract looks like, you know? We're going to go through our due diligence. Obviously, we've got lots of time to work through this. The offseason's just starting, and I’ve actually had conversations with both agents before the season had ended. So this is we're just going to pick up where we had left off before. I spoke to the two young players as well, and they're excited. They're excited to get going. Hopefully we can work through this expeditiously.
You touched on it briefly, but you would be open to hiring perhaps another rookie head coach then, just like when Greg came in?
Yeah, I'm open to–I'm not eliminating any options, really. You could look at rookie coaches come in and do a bang up job, so, I'm not eliminating any options off the table. It would be important to some of the questions I'm going to ask to see what their thoughts are, what their methods are going to be, their strategies, all of that sort of thing that the process of interviewing a coach.
And the rest of the coaching staff, is the plan for them to be retained or what's the situation with them?
There's a lot of different scenarios that could happen, but right now, they're here for today until we can really get a handle of where this search is going and the types of things that shake out after you hire a new coach.
You've hit on a whole bunch of draft picks up top, and you've hit on some kids down in San Diego that look like they can play at this level. What is missing on your roster that you need to go get? Can you get it through free agency or through trades? What is the next thing you have to add?
Well, I think when you look at the roster on a whole, I think that I would look at we need to score more goals. Ultimately, we didn't score enough goals, and certainly that became a contributing factor. What was interesting when we scored three or more goals? We virtually won all the games. We're almost undefeated when scoring three or more goals. That is going to be a goal that we're looking to hit by being more offensive.
You've had two American Hockey League coaches now that have worked there that had success (in the AHL) and didn't work out or didn't finish the job. What do you want from a head coach: a veteran coach who's a hard driver that can take them to the next level? or do you need just a different type of teacher?
I need all of that what you just basically said. Can I find that coach that encapsulates all of that stuff? I'm not sure. That's why I got to go through this process. We have a diverse roster in the sense we've got some good older players, and we got some really good younger players melding them. Them being in different stages of their careers is, obviously, it's difficult in the sense that older players need less, younger players need more. Can I find the guy that can meld that development and that diverse roster into a cohesive unit to where the young kids are impactful and even the veterans are impactful. So that's kind of, in a sense that uh what I'm looking to do.
On free agency going forward. Obviously last year, you tried for a couple big free agents, and they didn't pull through. You've reiterated that you want a big scoring forward for this team. How much of that is still a necessity? And when it comes a smaller free agent market this year, do you anticipate having to make that move via trade rather than just through free agency?
Well, I mean, I'll be meeting with our groups soon, and we're going to go through all the different scenarios. Obviously, we're going to have a bunch of different strategies going into that. There'll be a bunch of different plans, depending on how–like I said, I'm going to be aggressive like I was last summer, but there'll be different plans put in place based on what happens on the different scenarios. There'll be a lot of things getting looked at, and here could be a lot of different variables that come along, and hopefully we'll have the answers to get it done.
Two players for you that their contracts will expire next season, Trevor Zegras and Jacob Trouba. Trevor had kind of a different role this year. I know he's dealt with injuries. You brought Trouba in to kind of alleviate the responsibilities for Radko Gudas. Where do you see those two players being part of the organization long term?
When the players are in those circumstances, we all take everything year by year. I’m certainly going to be watching to see how each of them perform, and taking the whole course of the season to decide where we go. They're obviously quality hockey players. We've got a lot of quality hockey players in our system. There's going to be a lot of things that are going to happen and transpire, and we’ll have to be able to figure that out and assess that at the appropriate time.