The first move of the 2025 NHL offseason coaching carousel spun on Saturday morning. Before 8 AM local time, the Anaheim Ducks announced that Greg Cronin would not return for a third season as head coach for the franchise. Anaheim improved on last season’s 27-50-5 effort to a 35-37-10 record, but it was not enough of an improvement for Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek and the decision makers in California. Cronin finished with a 62-87-15 record after spending five seasons leading a bench in the American Hockey League. Anaheim has not skated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2017-18 season.
NEWS: Greg Cronin will not return as Ducks head coach. https://t.co/xmYWlRQk4T
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 19, 2025
Through the Ducks team’s website, Verbeek thanked Cronin for his contributions to the upward trajectory of the franchise. “He is responsible in many ways for the improvement we’ve seen from our young core,” Verbeek said. “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.”
There are several intriguing candidates available this offseason. NHL coaching Jay Woodcroft worked wonders with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton, while an up-and-coming name in David Carle could intrigue the Anaheim front office. Perhaps Verbeek will reinvent the coaching game with Jessica Campbell from the Seattle Kraken, the first female assistant coach in NHL history. Any direction the Anaheim front office chooses to go will heavily impact the future direction of the Southern California franchise.
Verbeek and the Ducks will face a critical offseason of decisions. Up next, Anaheim and the rest of the non-playoff teams await the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery. While this year’s date has not been announced, the ball-bouncing selection process should occur towards the end of May. Last season, the San Jose Sharks won the first overall pick and the right to select Macklin Celebrini on May 24. The Ducks hold nine draft picks in the upcoming draft, including four in the top 100 selections. Mason McTavish and Lukas Dostal are Anaheim’s most notable restricted free agents, but the Ducks have plenty of cap space to operate with entering the 2025 offseason. According to PuckPedia, Anaheim ended the season with nearly $16 million in available cap space.
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