I’m pretty miserable right now to be honest
When it comes to hockey. When I turn to the Ducks it’s just not exciting hockey either
Over here
I just wish one of the Ducks kids breaks out but not gonna happen with this coaching and putrid PP. The production is just not there and then Z getting injured , Leo struggling and stapled to a line of anchors is making his struggles even worse and he is getting frustrated because Killorn can’t accept a F’ing pass.
When we go back to the Eakins years, Z broke out, so did Terry and McTavish was looking very promising. Not saying I want Eakins back, God no, but I just feel Cronin has sucked the life out of this team and the fun as well. Kinda wished they lost against Edmonton, to make Verbeek more aware, that there is an issue, but now it’s like “oh everything is fine” . It really isn’t.
The worst part is, Verbeek is fine with how things are going , that to me is very scary. They would be dead last now in the league if not for some great and solid goaltending.
I'm not saying I want Eakins back, but Eakins is painted in a very biased view.
I used to believe that Eakins was a terrible NHL coach b/c everyone said so until he told GM Murray to waive Rico during COVID season. That took some balls and it helped spring expectations higher for the 2021-22 season. That was the season when the team started healthy, but also had several rookies in the lineup in C Z, RD Drysdale, C Groulx, C Mac (for a 9-game NHL stint), D Benoit, and D Mahura. We were 3rd in the Pacific at All-Star break when Verbeek took over.
When given a proper NHL roster, Eakins can produce. He used his strong defense to produce higher offense in 2021-22. That is how I see Eakins with the 2021-22 season until Verbeek blew the team up.
Eakins figured out ways to generate points or wins, which is what I discovered in his last season with us. Because he had no talent on the blueline, he relied on his netminders to get into a shootout and eek out points. With a shit roster Verbeek gave Eakins, Eakins earned 58 points. Cronin was gifted a far better roster, but could only improve by one single point.
After last season, everyone lambasted me for saying that Cronin was worse than Eakins because of feelings b/c the numbers didn't reflect it. This year, the numbers are reflecting what transpired last year and everyone wants Cronin fired. Cronin is narrow-minded and sees only one way to earn points. Verbeek is similar in that way too. With so many finesse forwards on the roster, Verbeek enjoys the dump & chase.
Some of the kids are breaking out, but they're all non-forwards. G Dostal has been great when not run into the ground. LaCombe, Zell, and Helleson are putting up good offensive numbers! LaCombe and Zell are our #7 and #8 points leaders, with LaCombe ranked tied for 5th in goals scored for the Ducks. Not only that, but LaCombe and Helleson are good defensively too!
It's unfortunate that the forward kids are under a restrictive offensive system and have to rely on their individual play to improve offensive output. 60% of our games have us scoring 2 goals or fewer this year (35 games). Last year, our 2 goals or fewer games rate was lower at 42.7% (82 games). That's a scary find.
