Speculation: 2024-25 Coaching/Management/Ownership

[Terry Yake]

keeping murray in his position for as long as they did despite his history of abuse and alcoholism really tainted my view of the samuelis

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

 

[Tecumseh]

I want Cronin fired as much as the next guy but this weird vendetta that Spittin Chichlets has against the Ducks org is getting out of hand.

 

[Kalv]

I want Cronin fired as much as the next guy but this weird vendetta that Spittin Chichlets has against the Ducks org is getting out of hand.

What agaimst us?
They have had a lot of our ppl on, I even thought man, they're the ones finally giving us exposure

 

[DavidBL]

What agaimst us?
They have had a lot of our ppl on, I even thought man, they're the ones finally giving us exposure

This is the thing, It's not like Anaheim fans are some amazing market to unlock for their viewership so there isn't a whole lot to gain by focusing on the Ducks. There is likely much more viewership for drama surrounding Vancouver, NY or Buffalo.

 

[ohcomeonref]

I want Cronin fired as much as the next guy but this weird vendetta that Spittin Chichlets has against the Ducks org is getting out of hand.

What vendetta with the Ducks? Nobody was saying they had a vendetta with Columbus when they were shit talking Babcock, why are Ducks fans being weird about them talking about Cronin?

 

[dracom]

i don't care for the SC group personally, but there's far too much smoke for there not to be something going on with Cronin and the locker room. Them, plus the Lyubushkin stuff earlier this season; it's pretty apparent that Cronin is just not mixing well with this group. but Pat wont do shit until the damage is done.

 

[duckpuck]

When Verbeek told the owners that he needed to blow up the team instead of taking the next step to be contenders as he promised, then the Samueli's knew it would be a five-year process. The org is overpaying for lower talent brought in with $7 mil for Klingberg, $6.25 mil AAV for Killorn, $8 mil AAV for Trouba, and $5 mil to Strome.

You know this how? You were in the room or heard it from a reliable source?

Separate point not directed to the quoted post. It is weird that people are focused on the Samueli's increasing wealth. They have always been billionaires and the NHL has a salary cap. All major sports team owners are massively wealthy. Their wealth is largely irrelevant. So posting about it smacks of jealously and/or some sort of odd political statement ("there should be no billionaires"). The Samuelis are first generation wealthy - he created something of immense value to society. They are very philanthropic. All of that should be admired, not viewed as a bad thing

 

[AngelDuck]

You know this how? You were in the room or heard it from a reliable source?

Separate point not directed to the quoted post. It is weird that people are focused on the Samueli's increasing wealth. They have always been billionaires and the NHL has a salary cap. All major sports team owners are massively wealthy. Their wealth is largely irrelevant. So posting about it smacks of jealously and/or some sort of odd political statement ("there should be no billionaires"). The Samuelis are first generation wealthy - he created something of immense value to society. They are very philanthropic. All of that should be admired, not viewed as a bad thing

They have always been wealthy, true, but they were worth about $4 billion 5 years ago and are now worth about $23 billion. Massive difference obviously

I’m not jealous or getting political, it’s just good for the fan base to understand that our owners are immensely wealthy and should have zero spending restrictions at any point the next X amount of years. They’re wealthier than 95% of sports team owners at this point

The bold is also laughable. Anyone who understands sports and business in America knows that it is completely false

 

[Hockey Duckie]

You know this how? You were in the room or heard it from a reliable source?

Separate point not directed to the quoted post. It is weird that people are focused on the Samueli's increasing wealth. They have always been billionaires and the NHL has a salary cap. All major sports team owners are massively wealthy. Their wealth is largely irrelevant. So posting about it smacks of jealously and/or some sort of odd political statement ("there should be no billionaires"). The Samuelis are first generation wealthy - he created something of immense value to society. They are very philanthropic. All of that should be admired, not viewed as a bad thing

Feb 4, 2022, after Verbeek was hired (Detroit News)

Named general manager of the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, Verbeek is going to an organization in third place in the Pacific Division, in a wild-card spot, and past the early stages of the rebuild phase.​

​

"This team doesn't need to be rebuilt; they're in the middle of their rebuild, so this is a great opportunity to take this team forward and turn them into a contender," Verbeek said during his introductory press conference. "You don't have to come in there and look to take a long time. There's good players in the NHL, good players in the minors and there are players that have been drafted. There's a lot coming to support the growth of this team. That's truly what I'm excited about."​

Feb 3, 2022, ESPN:

The new general manager said he believes he has more than enough time to decide what to do with the Ducks' veteran core. He said Samueli has given him clearance to do whatever is necessary to keep Anaheim moving forward.​

​

"I would look at this as being in the middle of a rebuild," Verbeek said. "We have strengths. We also have weaknesses, so the goal is going to be to make sure we keep building on those strengths and then start to eliminate the weaknesses."​

---

March TDL 2022. Verbeek blew up the team. Here's an Oct 22, 2022 article from the Athletic:

Another thing Verbeek did after last season was pick up Dallas Eakin’s option year. Verbeek resisted the temptation that I think a lot of new GMs have, to bring in his own coach immediately.​

​

“It’s not fair … me coming in two, three months and then going with a new guy,” Verbeek said. “And in the sense that I just blew up the team (at the trade deadline). So I wanted to give him a chance. And it gave us an opportunity to get to know one another over the course of the offseason.​

 

[KelVarnsen]

i don't care for the SC group personally, but there's far too much smoke for there not to be something going on with Cronin and the locker room. Them, plus the Lyubushkin stuff earlier this season; it's pretty apparent that Cronin is just not mixing well with this group. but Pat wont do shit until the damage is done.

Also Z said he hated playing wing and I think it was Killorn that said no one really knows where others are on ice. All this stuff screams Cronin is out to lunch and there is absolutely a disconnect between the coaching staff and the players.

 

[Mr Rogers]

What agaimst us?
They have had a lot of our ppl on, I even thought man, they're the ones finally giving us exposure

What vendetta with the Ducks? Nobody was saying they had a vendetta with Columbus when they were shit talking Babcock, why are Ducks fans being weird about them talking about Cronin?

I agree. If anything they are trying to support our players.

In Cronin’s preseason interview with Alexis, and in previous interviews he’s given , I’ve gotten this vibe that he’s pretty impressed by himself and his ability to communicate with and evaluate players. He seems to say all the right things but just doesn’t really enact any of it. Seems like Pat fell for that in interviews.

 

[Kalv]

I agree. If anything they are trying to support our players.

In Cronin’s preseason interview with Alexis, and in previous interviews he’s given , I’ve gotten this vibe that he’s pretty impressed by himself and his ability to communicate with and evaluate players. He seems to say all the right things but just doesn’t really enact any of it. Seems like Pat fell for that in interviews.

I believe Pat is from the same cloth. There was a case he was rude/made fun of a journalist (was it Helen Eliot?) when asked if Pat valueates himself. Made a super rude and full,-of-himself impression. Now even more feels like it's not a coincidence

 

[Mr Rogers]

I believe Pat is from the same cloth. There was a case he was rude/made fun of a journalist (was it Helen Eliot?) when asked if Pat valueates himself. Made a super rude and full,-of-himself impression. Now even more feels like it's not a coincidence

Yeah it was a curt response to Lisa Dillman. The comment Biz made about Cronin thinking his philosophies are a big deal kind of resonated with me a bit at least. In preseason interviews, I got the impression that he thought his coaching ways were kind of profound.

Again this stuff actually sounds good but it’s not resulting in wins either because it’s not actually that good or he’s not implementing it/actually staying true to his word.

Around 46:00 is the type of stuff I’m thinking about

 

[ohcomeonref]

Yeah it was a curt response to Lisa Dillman. The comment Biz made about Cronin thinking his philosophies are a big deal kind of resonated with me a bit at least. In preseason interviews, I got the impression that he thought his coaching ways were kind of profound.

Again this stuff actually sounds good but it’s not resulting in wins either because it’s not actually that good or he’s not implementing it/actually staying true to his word.

Around 46:00 is the type of stuff I’m thinking about

Dude really thinks he's hot shit, holy hell.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Yeah it was a curt response to Lisa Dillman. The comment Biz made about Cronin thinking his philosophies are a big deal kind of resonated with me a bit at least. In preseason interviews, I got the impression that he thought his coaching ways were kind of profound.

Again this stuff actually sounds good but it’s not resulting in wins either because it’s not actually that good or he’s not implementing it/actually staying true to his word.

Around 46:00 is the type of stuff I’m thinking about

Don't forget Lyubushkin dropping the info of listening to motivation videos that numbed the mind and body before practice or something like that. Eventually Cronin changed the order so the practice comes first before being bored to death.

 

[SmokeyDuck]

I have mixed feelings about the Samuelis.

They have spent quite a bit on philanthropy in Orange County.

As a fan, I’d love to see them more involved, or at least holding Ducks Mgmt accountable.

The other side of having an uber wealthy owner, is having a small market team that doesn’t turn a profit stay in Orange County.

As frustrating as it is right now to watch the Ducks, it would be worse to lose them to another market.

I could not become a Kings fan. Having to listen to Jim Fox would make me confess to crimes I didn’t commit.

John

Most teams who have owners who are active in the building of the team absolutely hate it. I would steer clear of owners who want to inject their ideas to the roster and day to day operations. Leave that to the managers.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

This is the thing, It's not like Anaheim fans are some amazing market to unlock for their viewership so there isn't a whole lot to gain by focusing on the Ducks. There is likely much more viewership for drama surrounding Vancouver, NY or Buffalo.

I don’t think they’re doing it for clicks, I just think they don’t care for the franchise or for Cronin in particular. Digging up decades old grudges by someone who’s own mom contradicts him? And whining about his philosophies.

The only concrete thing we’ve heard from Cronin’s current tenure is the Lyubushkin thing which I agree sounds terrible. I think he’s a bad coach. Maybe he’s a good assistant coach, I dunno. But the SC stuff feels to me like a they’re trying to manufacture a pile-on—they’ve gotten coaches fired before, after all—and I don’t like it.

 

[duckpuck]

They have always been wealthy, true, but they were worth about $4 billion 5 years ago and are now worth about $23 billion. Massive difference obviously

I’m not jealous or getting political, it’s just good for the fan base to understand that our owners are immensely wealthy and should have zero spending restrictions at any point the next X amount of years. They’re wealthier than 95% of sports team owners at this point

The bold is also laughable. Anyone who understands sports and business in America knows that it is completely false

Please explain to me how the owners being worth $20+ billion is materially different then being worth $4 billion? Where they pinched at $4B?

Their increased wealth has literally no identifiable impact on the team or for that matter, on their personal lives (other than they can give more to charity if they so choose). The NHL operates on a hard hockey cap - they are limited in what they can spend.

The Samuelis have always spent money on the team, its facilities including Honda center, and in the local community (hockey and not hockey related). They paid employees during covid. They donate to many non-hockey related causes and have signed the giving pledge.

Henry and Susan Samueli - The Giving Pledge

Henry and Susan Samueli : “Our philanthropy has always been in our hearts and it was easy for us to look for ways to give back. Our philanthropy represents the bridge from our family to our community, from the past to the future, and from our passions to our convictions. It is also important to...

givingpledge.org

https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/uc-irvine-receives-50-million-from-henry-and-susan-samueli

How Broadcom’s Henry Samueli Is Giving Away Billions

His donations have benefited UCLA’s engineering school and UC Irvine’s health sciences college

spectrum.ieee.org

 

[duckpuck]

Feb 4, 2022, after Verbeek was hired (Detroit News)

Named general manager of the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, Verbeek is going to an organization in third place in the Pacific Division, in a wild-card spot, and past the early stages of the rebuild phase.​

​

"This team doesn't need to be rebuilt; they're in the middle of their rebuild, so this is a great opportunity to take this team forward and turn them into a contender," Verbeek said during his introductory press conference. "You don't have to come in there and look to take a long time. There's good players in the NHL, good players in the minors and there are players that have been drafted. There's a lot coming to support the growth of this team. That's truly what I'm excited about."​

Feb 3, 2022, ESPN:

The new general manager said he believes he has more than enough time to decide what to do with the Ducks' veteran core. He said Samueli has given him clearance to do whatever is necessary to keep Anaheim moving forward.​

​

"I would look at this as being in the middle of a rebuild," Verbeek said. "We have strengths. We also have weaknesses, so the goal is going to be to make sure we keep building on those strengths and then start to eliminate the weaknesses."​

---

March TDL 2022. Verbeek blew up the team. Here's an Oct 22, 2022 article from the Athletic:

Another thing Verbeek did after last season was pick up Dallas Eakin’s option year. Verbeek resisted the temptation that I think a lot of new GMs have, to bring in his own coach immediately.​

​

“It’s not fair … me coming in two, three months and then going with a new guy,” Verbeek said. “And in the sense that I just blew up the team (at the trade deadline). So I wanted to give him a chance. And it gave us an opportunity to get to know one another over the course of the offseason.​

I think you're really misconstruing the statement which was made in the context of retaining/evaluating Eakins. Trading 3 pending UFAs (Manson, Rakell and Lindholm) is not restarting the rebuild. It is the natural thing to do in the middle of the rebuild.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

I think you're really misconstruing the statement which was made in the context of retaining/evaluating Eakins. Trading 3 pending UFAs (Manson, Rakell and Lindholm) is not restarting the rebuild. It is the natural thing to do in the middle of the rebuild.

In your re-frame context that blowing up the team doesn't mean Verbeek reset the rebuild, then that means Verbeek is in year 6 of the Ducks' rebuild. Then Verbeek should be fired after this season, especially since he has yet to surpass the 2021-22 season, or year 3 of the rebuild.

From the same ESPN article cited in my OP:

"It's going to be easier," Verbeek said. "Certainly you don't have to come in there and look to take a long time. There's good players in the NHL, and there's also good players in the minors. There's also players that have been drafted. So there's lots coming to support the growth of this team. ... [A typical rebuild] takes five years. I'm hoping to shorten that, but that's kind of the reality of how long it really takes you to be a consistent, serious contender."​

---

I'll stick with Verbeek resetting the rebuild, aka the Verbeekening. Otherwise, I'd be irate like most posters on here are about the team not being in the playoffs for potentially seven consecutive seasons.

• Ducks Non-playoff Record
  • 2018-19: Finished 8th worst (80 pts)
    • TDL starts the Murray Rebuild
  • 2019-20: Finished 5th worst (67 pts)
  • 2020-21: Finished 2nd worst (43 pts COVID; 63 pts COVID adjusted)
  • 2021-22: Finished 10th worst (76 pts)
    • 3rd in Pacific at All-Star Break when Verbeek was hired (55 pts in 48 games)
    • 4 pts from 3rd in Pacific at the TDL (64 pts in 62 games),
      Verbeekening happened
  • 2022-23: Finished with the worst record (58 pts)
  • 2023-24: Finished 3rd worst (59 pts)
  • 2024-25: Currently tied for 5th worst (30 pts)

Maybe visualizing the data set might be easier to see the reset to the rebuild.

 

[FiveHoleTickler]

Yeah it was a curt response to Lisa Dillman. The comment Biz made about Cronin thinking his philosophies are a big deal kind of resonated with me a bit at least. In preseason interviews, I got the impression that he thought his coaching ways were kind of profound.

Again this stuff actually sounds good but it’s not resulting in wins either because it’s not actually that good or he’s not implementing it/actually staying true to his word.

Around 46:00 is the type of stuff I’m thinking about

That part of the clip you reference is very odd. Cronin goes through all this explanation about a players' own identity and at the end of it his point is that he doesn't get a very specific answer to a very general open-ended question.

What the f*** is this guy talking about?

 

[Mr Rogers]

That part of the clip you reference is very odd. Cronin goes through all this explanation about a players' own identity and at the end of it his point is that he doesn't get a very specific answer to a very general open-ended question.

What the f*** is this guy talking about?

Yeah exactly my thought

 

[Frosted Tips]

I agree. If anything they are trying to support our players.

In Cronin’s preseason interview with Alexis, and in previous interviews he’s given , I’ve gotten this vibe that he’s pretty impressed by himself and his ability to communicate with and evaluate players. He seems to say all the right things but just doesn’t really enact any of it. Seems like Pat fell for that in interviews.

In a recent The Athletic podcast they mentioned that Greg Cronin is the most interesting person to talk to, so he just might be very good at selling his ideas to just about anyone.