Speculation: 2024-25 Coaching/Management/Ownership

[MMC]

Cronin isn’t going anywhere. I’m willing to bet the vibes in the room rn are “this is so much better than last year.” It goes beyond just the record IMO, which isn’t even that bad, although inflated by Dostal’s stellar early play.

The team has been in every game for nearly a month now and that is really all you can expect from a coach during a rebuild

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

Cronin wouldn't give the guys a day off tomorrow. Even after Vatrano hinted they wanted off.

 

[TheDarkWingThatDucks]

View attachment 938740
Cronin wouldn't give the guys a day off tomorrow. Even after Vatrano hinted they wanted off.

We once again got back to .500 ….. we’ve got the knights and the wild this week…. We won a sloppy game 4-3 in a shootout….. this is not day off territory, and for good reason. If you are a championship caliber team, you’ll probably get the day off. This is nothing wrong with Cronin, and you can have legit issues with him….. go win these two games and then ask for a day off.

 

[JonathnTaylorTavares]

We once again got back to .500 ….. we’ve got the knights and the wild this week…. We won a sloppy game 4-3 in a shootout….. this is not day off territory, and for good reason. If you are a championship caliber team, you’ll probably get the day off. This is nothing wrong with Cronin, and you can have legit issues with him….. go win these two games and then ask for a day off.

thanks, ill let them know

 

[TheDarkWingThatDucks]

thanks, ill let them know

Thanks JTT loved you in man of the house

 

[Hockey Duckie]

We once again got back to .500 ….. we’ve got the knights and the wild this week…. We won a sloppy game 4-3 in a shootout….. this is not day off territory, and for good reason. If you are a championship caliber team, you’ll probably get the day off. This is nothing wrong with Cronin, and you can have legit issues with him….. go win these two games and then ask for a day off.

I hope we don't run down our players again like we did last season. Anaheim just played four games in a seven day span, which included flying out on one away game. It is plausible that the sloppiness is due to fatigue.

The Ducks have a two-day break before Vegas, a one day break before Minny, and then a two-day break before going on a road trip to the east coast... implying we could have just a one day break instead of two b/c we are flying out on one of those days. The away trip will play four teams in six days.

 

[Kalv]

I hope we don't run down our players again like we did last season. Anaheim just played four games in a seven day span, which included flying out on one away game. It is plausible that the sloppiness is due to fatigue.

The Ducks have a two-day break before Vegas, a one day break before Minny, and then a two-day break before going on a road trip to the east coast... implying we could have just a one day break instead of two b/c we are flying out on one of those days. The away trip will play four teams in six days.

Just a random thought but I think we're constantly out of gas by the end of games. I think we're pretty bad in 3rd period this year, not just now.

Not sure what Cronin is doing but it might not be optimal.

 

[robbieboy3686]

I hope we don't run down our players again like we did last season. Anaheim just played four games in a seven day span, which included flying out on one away game. It is plausible that the sloppiness is due to fatigue.

The Ducks have a two-day break before Vegas, a one day break before Minny, and then a two-day break before going on a road trip to the east coast... implying we could have just a one day break instead of two b/c we are flying out on one of those days. The away trip will play four teams in six days.

We’re learning a new system right? Need the home stretches to practice, as practicing on the road is probably not easy( also need more rest on the road because of travel and usually some back to back games) ducks have a few back to back games this month if a recall correctly.

Just a random thought but I think we're constantly out of gas by the end of games. I think we're pretty bad in 3rd period this year, not just now.

Not sure what Cronin is doing but it might not be optimal.

If Cronin got his ahl guys to buy in and work hard. He can certainly expect that of nhl players. I’m starting to see a trend where all of us want to excuse every single player for the sake of Cronin. I think players need to be held accountable.

 

[JAHV]

I finally got around to listening to that 32 Thoughts segment about the Ducks and Cronin's effect on them.

Cronin is obviously respected as a teacher. There are plenty of things to question about how he runs things, but I think there are things we can point to that show it.

• Zegras has undoubtedly improved as a complete player. It has come at the expense of some offensive production, so whether that was a worthwhile endeavor remains to be seen, but there is no question he's now committed to playing defense.
• The team is significantly more disciplined this season, something Cronin focused on extensively.
• The team seems to have taken a step forward from last season.

But as Friedman points out - losing is always hard. It sucks to lose. And when you're losing, playing for two gruff, ornery guys (like Cronin and Verbeek) can really wear you down. Guys like that often expect you to grind because it's the "right" way to go about things - you give 100% all the time, dedicate yourself, be tough, all of that stuff. I get that because that was always my mindset when I played sports. But not everyone is wired that way, and it's why a guy like Selanne was so great. You need guys to bring joy to the room.

It will be interesting to see what Verbeek does in the offseason. He brought Clune in to inject some fun into the atmosphere, but Cronin still seems like he has a short shelf life. We'll see if Verbeek recognizes that and makes a move to bring in a different, friendlier voice to take the team to the next phase of competing.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

If Cronin turns Zegras into Silfverberg I don't consider that a good step forward. We can argue about exact numbers of points but a good teacher can get a guy to play defense without sacrificing their offensive mojo. Yes, Z is playing better D. The jury is still out as to the cost in lost offense. Time will tell.

 

[Frosted Tips]

Just a random thought but I think we're constantly out of gas by the end of games. I think we're pretty bad in 3rd period this year, not just now.

Not sure what Cronin is doing but it might not be optimal.

Last night in the third period, it wasn't the Sens that looked like a team playing b2b.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

We’re learning a new system right? Need the home stretches to practice, as practicing on the road is probably not easy( also need more rest on the road because of travel and usually some back to back games) ducks have a few back to back games this month if a recall correctly.


If Cronin got his ahl guys to buy in and work hard. He can certainly expect that of nhl players. I’m starting to see a trend where all of us want to excuse every single player for the sake of Cronin. I think players need to be held accountable.

You gotta weigh the benefits of when to keep pushing and when to rest. As @Kalv mentioned above, we have looked fatigued in the 3rd for most of the season, which includes before making new changes. Hell, Cronin rode Dostal into the ground to start the season b/c he was searching for the best chances to win and Reimer was not a great option. Thank goodness Gibson returned when he did b/c Dostal was sucking just as fast as a black hole sucks in light.

Cronin's tenure with the Colorado org as their AHL coach has benefits. The level of competition isn't has high as the NHL. Cronin's first three seasons with the Eagles (AHL club), it was up and down seasons. His last two seasons were great seasons, but the vast majority of his top-10 scorers were older vets/older players. With so many vets populating the top of the roster, there probably was less teaching involved from him as his vets would probably act as teacher on the ice. Also, those vets know far more than the young guys with respect to soaking in new teaching schemes.

Cronin is teaching the youths at the NHL level. Our young offensive forwards have stagnated offensively. LaCombe's offense is slowly improving and Zell's defense is slowly improving. Minty is adapting to a higher level of competition. Helleson looks great when put into a simplified role in the NHL, Helleson did this under Eakins as well. We are tied in the top-10 at 5v5 GA with only 43 goals given up, but our xGA ranks 29th. Being on both sides of the extreme for those two stats point to our goalies standing on their heads. It's because of our netminders that our youths can grow, even incrementally.

As I shared above, the team has played a lot of games in a short amount of time and will be playing a lot of game in a short amount of time in away games. I'm afraid Cronin will run this team down like he did Dostal to start the season if they don't get ample rest & recovery.

Cronin needs to take a page from Helleson. In the AHL, they org has been trying to make Helleson into an all-around, top-pairing D-man. With all those extra instructions, he become very confused and his role became very muddled. Which is why many of us didn't know what type of d-man Helleson has been in the AHL. I thought he was a shutdown guy when we acquired him. He was a shutdown guy at the WJC-20 with Thrun, LaCombe, and Zegras on Team USA that won gold. In the NHL, his role has been simplified to primarily be a shutdown guy and chip in when the chance arises.

 

[robbieboy3686]

You gotta weigh the benefits of when to keep pushing and when to rest. As @Kalv mentioned above, we have looked fatigued in the 3rd for most of the season, which includes before making new changes. Hell, Cronin rode Dostal into the ground to start the season b/c he was searching for the best chances to win and Reimer was not a great option. Thank goodness Gibson returned when he did b/c Dostal was sucking just as fast as a black hole sucks in light.

Cronin's tenure with the Colorado org as their AHL coach has benefits. The level of competition isn't has high as the NHL. Cronin's first three seasons with the Eagles (AHL club), it was up and down seasons. His last two seasons were great seasons, but the vast majority of his top-10 scorers were older vets/older players. With so many vets populating the top of the roster, there probably was less teaching involved from him as his vets would probably act as teacher on the ice. Also, those vets know far more than the young guys with respect to soaking in new teaching schemes.

Cronin is teaching the youths at the NHL level. Our young offensive forwards have stagnated offensively. LaCombe's offense is slowly improving and Zell's defense is slowly improving. Minty is adapting to a higher level of competition. Helleson looks great when put into a simplified role in the NHL, Helleson did this under Eakins as well. We are tied in the top-10 at 5v5 GA with only 43 goals given up, but our xGA ranks 29th. Being on both sides of the extreme for those two stats point to our goalies standing on their heads. It's because of our netminders that our youths can grow, even incrementally.

As I shared above, the team has played a lot of games in a short amount of time and will be playing a lot of game in a short amount of time in away games. I'm afraid Cronin will run this team down like he did Dostal to start the season if they don't get ample rest & recovery.

Cronin needs to take a page from Helleson. In the AHL, they org has been trying to make Helleson into an all-around, top-pairing D-man. With all those extra instructions, he become very confused and his role became very muddled. Which is why many of us didn't know what type of d-man Helleson has been in the AHL. I thought he was a shutdown guy when we acquired him. He was a shutdown guy at the WJC-20 with Thrun, LaCombe, and Zegras on Team USA that won gold. In the NHL, his role has been simplified to primarily be a shutdown guy and chip in when the chance arises.

If helleson becomes a staple 3rd pair rhd for us. That’s a big win for the organization

 

[ohcomeonref]

If helleson becomes a staple 3rd pair rhd for us. That’s a big win for the organization

He looks like he could be even better than that TBH

 

[NWWisconsinDuck]

I understand the dislike for Cronin. I’m not the biggest fan of the guy either but I think some of the sentiment on this board is over the top.

This has all come to a head lately based on comments by Spittin’ Chiclets, about as unreliable as they come. Yes I know they’ve at times had scoops but this isn’t Friedman or Lebrun saying the locker room is miserable. It’s podcasters.

This team is improving which is exactly what Cronin was hired to do. Does that come with an element of tough love and being an asshole at times? Maybe. But maybe just maybe that’s what this team needed and continues to need.

I’m not saying Cronin is the guy for when this team is ready to compete for a Stanley Cup - he probably isn’t. But disregarding improvement of the team as a whole, which is what he was brought here to do, is shortsighted in my opinion.

 

[ScarTroy]

I understand the dislike for Cronin. I’m not the biggest fan of the guy either but I think some of the sentiment on this board is over the top.

This has all come to a head lately based on comments by Spittin’ Chiclets, about as unreliable as they come. Yes I know they’ve at times had scoops but this isn’t Friedman or Lebrun saying the locker room is miserable. It’s podcasters.

This team is improving which is exactly what Cronin was hired to do. Does that come with an element of tough love and being an asshole at times? Maybe. But maybe just maybe that’s what this team needed and continues to need.

I’m not saying Cronin is the guy for when this team is ready to compete for a Stanley Cup - he probably isn’t. But disregarding improvement of the team as a whole, which is what he was brought here to do, is shortsighted in my opinion.

I think the worry of many, which is warranted, is that the kids are staying stagnant or even regressing under him. There’s a balance between tough love and developing your future, which I don’t think Cronin has yet found the balance of. We’ll see though, there’s time. With the way the team is playing his seat has definitely cooled down a bit.

 

[NWWisconsinDuck]

I think the worry of many, which is warranted, is that the kids are staying stagnant or even regressing under him. There’s a balance between tough love and developing your future, which I don’t think Cronin has yet found the balance of. We’ll see though, there’s time. With the way the team is playing his seat has definitely cooled down a bit.

I think this is a fair argument for sure. I guess I look at the other side of it as well -

Terry playing great, Zegras has clearly improved, Carlsson when healthy is impactful, Zellweger looks like a future star. I don’t think it’s all bad. I don’t think all of the sudden we have these league beaters but I don’t think slower growth as opposed to an explosion is always indicative of stagnation either

 

[Sean Garrity]

Biz and Whitney are more connected to the players then I think most people think. I believe Biz also got called out for bullshit on his Babcock reporting (I could be remembering a different issue), and then was backed up by current players who were effected. Also, pretty sure they put the caveat that it wasn’t any current Ducks players who were saying these things, but I’d have to re listen to be certain. Long story short, I don’t think their podcasts just spews bullshit or clickbait because they’re not reporters like Seravalli.

 

[Mr Rogers]

The media’s credibility is written off way too much on HF in general. There is a lot of nuisances and people with bad-intentions but doesn’t mean they are just clueless and have no more info than the average fan.

 

[NWWisconsinDuck]

Biz and Whitney are more connected to the players then I think most people think. I believe Biz also got called out for bullshit on his Babcock reporting (I could be remembering a different issue), and then was backed up by current players who were effected. Also, pretty sure they put the caveat that it wasn’t any current Ducks players who were saying these things, but I’d have to re listen to be certain. Long story short, I don’t think their podcasts just spews bullshit or clickbait because they’re not reporters like Seravalli.

Except in this case they explicitly said they hadn’t talked to players, as you said.

Again, not saying they haven’t been right in the past but they’ve shown quite a bit over the years they don’t know much on a lot of teams, ANA included

 

[ScarTroy]

I think this is a fair argument for sure. I guess I look at the other side of it as well -

Terry playing great, Zegras has clearly improved, Carlsson when healthy is impactful, Zellweger looks like a future star. I don’t think it’s all bad. I don’t think all of the sudden we have these league beaters but I don’t think slower growth as opposed to an explosion is always indicative of stagnation either

The way Z is playing is the one thing giving me hope Cronin can work out. He’s pacing great over his last 10 gashes or so, and is also playing a much more complete game. Z seems like a teachable kid, so hopefully that means he’s buying in to what Cronin is saying, and is finally seeing the results.

 

[Reveille1984]

I think most people on this board are somewhat reasonable and realize there's always multiple sides and grey areas to issues.

This roster overall isn't very good, and is severely lacking in goal scorers and any proven elite NHL talent. Most of our top forwards are pass first guys (Terry/Zegras/Carlsson) that routinely fumble good scoring opportunities for an extra pass or a timid shot. Of our "shooters", Gauthier is a rookie, Vatrano has turned back into a 35 point guy, Killorn has 4 goals in 23 games, and MacT has been extremely disappointing.

Do I think Cronin is the best fit for this team? An unproven, hard-ass coach with seemingly not many answers leading a very young team full of unproven talent? Of course not, and as we saw in the poll a little earlier this year most are in agreeance. I also can't put all the blame on him though given what he has to work with.

We don't have a single skater in the 24-25' season in the top 100 in goal scoring. Some of the blame for that is on Cronin and not being able to build an offensive system that takes advantage of his players. But this team also continues to lack talent that can put the puck in the back of the net. The miserable performances so far from guys that actually can shoot a bit is just exacerbating the problem.

 

[NWWisconsinDuck]

I think most people on this board are somewhat reasonable and realize there's always multiple sides and grey areas to issues.

This roster overall isn't very good, and is severely lacking in goal scorers and any proven elite NHL talent. Most of our top forwards are pass first guys (Terry/Zegras/Carlsson) that routinely fumble good scoring opportunities for an extra pass or a timid shot. Of our "shooters", Gauthier is a rookie, Vatrano has turned back into a 35 point guy, Killorn has 4 goals in 23 games, and MacT has been extremely disappointing.

Do I think Cronin is the best fit for this team? An unproven, hard-ass coach with seemingly not many answers leading a very young team full of unproven talent? Of course not, and as we saw in the poll a little earlier this year most are in agreeance. I also can't put all the blame on him though given what he has to work with.

We don't have a single skater in the 24-25' season in the top 100 in goal scoring. Some of the blame for that is on Cronin and not being able to build an offensive system that takes advantage of his players. But this team also continues to lack talent that can put the puck in the back of the net. The miserable performances so far from guys that actually can shoot a bit is just exacerbating the problem.

This I think is a really reasonable take and I think further evidence that whether they are realistic for the playoffs this year or not - getting a goal scorer and a legitimate one with term should be a priority for Verbeek IN SEASON.

 

[ZegrassyKnoll]

Biz and Whitney are more connected to the players then I think most people think. I believe Biz also got called out for bullshit on his Babcock reporting (I could be remembering a different issue), and then was backed up by current players who were effected. Also, pretty sure they put the caveat that it wasn’t any current Ducks players who were saying these things, but I’d have to re listen to be certain. Long story short, I don’t think their podcasts just spews bullshit or clickbait because they’re not reporters like Seravalli.

to your point, I think Biz and Whit are connected to older players - guys they might have played with or against.

I don’t think they’re really connected to guys on our team like Mintyukov, Leo, Zell, etc.

 

[TheDarkWingThatDucks]

I think the worry of many, which is warranted, is that the kids are staying stagnant or even regressing under him. There’s a balance between tough love and developing your future, which I don’t think Cronin has yet found the balance of. We’ll see though, there’s time. With the way the team is playing his seat has definitely cooled down a bit.

I’d argue, and I have. Fans are say the development is stagnant or regressing. While Zegras is playing the best hockey of his career, on pace for 40 pt season. Zegras was an awful hockey player putting up 60+ pts back 2 back seasons. But man was he exciting in a 6-2 blowout loss. Leo Carlsson has a higher PPG than Barkov and Hughes in their 18 + 19 year old season. McT was a PPG for 20 games last year, Zelly is playing amazingly, LaCombe is progressing. I just don’t see it as regression, I see it as a commitment to playing hockey in a winning way.