Ducks fire coach Greg Cronin after two seasons at helm

Anaheim Ducks coach Greg Cronin will not return next season, the team announced Saturday.

No replacement was named. Cronin had been signed through the 2025-26 season.

The Ducks were 35-37-10 (80 points) with a .488 points percentage. While that was an improvement over last season (27-50-5, 59 points), it wasn’t enough to bring Cronin back after two seasons behind the bench. Anaheim missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

Cronin, 61, was hired in June 2023 to take over a rebuilding roster, having served as head coach of the AHL Colorado Eagles prior to that.

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“I want to personally thank Greg for his tireless work and dedication to the team,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement. “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.”

Verbeek told Cronin of his decision at an early morning meeting Saturday at the Ducks’ lavish training complex in Irvine, and the team hurriedly announced the change shortly afterward.

“I would say he was completely shocked,” Verbeek told reporters of Cronin. “Which is probably normal from his perspective. 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 dive in with him deeper than I was able in the conversations we had today.”

Verbeek also said he expects the Ducks to make the playoffs next season, making that declaration for the first time in his 3 1/2-year tenure in their front office.

“From my perspective, the team is 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.”

The Ducks were 23rd in team defense this season thanks in no small part to the play of goalies Lukas Dostal and John Gibson, who combined for a .901 team save percentage, ninth best in the NHL. Their offense suffered under Cronin, finishing 30th overall in both of his seasons behind the bench.

Anaheim has amassed a collection of promising young offensive talents up front in centers Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish as well as rookie winger Cutter Gauthier. Cronin was criticized by fans for not playing his younger players more often. The Ducks’ top forwards in average ice time this season were Troy Terry (27), Frank Vatrano (31) and Alex Killorn (35). There was also criticism of Cronin when it came to the regression of 24-year-old star center Trevor Zegras, who had 47 points in 88 games during two injury-impacted seasons under the coach.

Verbeek inherited coach Dallas Eakins when he was hired as general manager in February 2022. Cronin was his first head coaching hire.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.