Ducks fire head coach after another postseason-less campaign

After the Anaheim Ducks missed out on the NHL playoffs, a change was inevitable. As a result, the team fired head coach Greg Cronin following a 35-37-10 season.

With players like Trevor Zegras on the team, it didn’t feel right that they missed out on the playoffs yet again. In a statement posted by NHL.com, general manager Pat Verbeek declared a change of direction for the team.

“I want to personally thank Greg for his tireless work and dedication to the team,” said General Manager Pat Verbeek. “He is responsible in many ways for the improvement we’ve seen from our young core.

“However, after several weeks of careful evaluation, I concluded we needed a change in direction and a new voice. This was an extremely difficult decision for me to make, but I felt it was necessary to continue our progress toward becoming a Stanley Cup contender that I know we can be.”

Ducks fire Greg Cronin amid another missed playoff 

As Verbeek said, Cronin was the right guy for the development. However, the Ducks are poised to take that next step. With a guy like Zegras, Anaheim can make a massive leap.

Even though the Ducks have some names as trade candidates, they’ll want to take a thorough look. Plenty of names are on the table. After all, John Gibson was a name that was involved and weeks later, he was traded.

Still, the head coach search will likely be enticing. The roster oozes potential and needs that next head coach to take them to the next level.

A 35-37-10 record is an improvement from where they were in seasons past. However, the expectation is reaching the playoffs and even the Stanley Cup Final.

Although the team has made improvements, they want to take that next step. No matter what, those steps will take place without Cronin as the Ducks’ head coach.