As the Ducks enter 2022-23, Adam Proteau says it is time for Dallas Eakins to show he is the proper man for the head teaching job.
Welcome to The THN Hot Seat, a new NHL low season collection of THN.com columns. In this feature, we’ll discover one individual in every NHL market who is going through big-time stress heading into the 2022-23 ordinary season. The individual should be a player, a coach, or even a group owner.
Regardless, we’ll begin the collection alphabetically, searching at the Anaheim Ducks.
DALLAS EAKINS, HEAD COACH
WHY: It’s unfair to pin Anaheim’s struggles in the standings entirely on Eakins, who has been the Ducks’ head teach for three years now. The 55-year-old can’t instruct offense, the team’s largest difficulty considering that he took over from then-interim bench boss and GM Bob Murray. Clearly, the Ducks have been a franchise in transition for some time, and the retirement of captain and longtime cornerstone middle Ryan Getzlaf this previous spring signaled the stop of an generation – as did the appointment of new GM Pat Verbeek.
To tackle Anaheim’s issues, Verbeek has had the full aid of possession in spending money on new acquisitions. Consequently, veteran forwards Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano and defenseman John Klingberg have been delivered to the lineup at a blended annual income cap hit of $15.65 million. All three gamers will make contributions offense, however make no mistake – the Ducks’ fortunes are nevertheless going to trip on the performances of younger up-and-comers, consisting of forwards Maxime Comtois, Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, Mason MacTavish and Isac Lundestrom, and D-man Jamie Drysdale.
Eakins has earned a popularity as a tremendous instructor of younger players, so the Ducks’ trajectory is right in his wheelhouse. Anaheim additionally has performed properly to add draft alternatives – they have three second-round selections and two fourth-rounders in the 2023 entry draft – which speaks to the endurance that nonetheless is going to be imperative for this group.
That said, Eakins is in the warm seat, particularly due to the fact Verbeek didn’t appoint him. As we’ve considered this off-season, the NHL teaching carousel is spinning quicker than ever, and there is no scarcity of candidates who’ll be entirely organized to step in ought to Verbeek determine a new voice is required. For instance, former Ducks educate Mike Babcock may want to be a suit there. Babcock has bid his time given that of being brushed aside by way of Toronto in November 2019, and his familiarity with the market in Anaheim, as nicely as his Stanley Cup-winning pedigree, should be a sellable aggregate to Ducks followers and media.
This is getting a little bit in advance of ourselves, of course. Eakins may also be in a position to take this new lineup and have them compete for a playoff berth in the susceptible Pacific Division. If that turns out to be the case, Eakins will probably have a contract extension in his palms quicker than later. But Eakins additionally desires a bounce-back season from beginning goaltender John Gibson, who posted a disappointing 3.19 Goals-Against Average and .904 Save Percentage in fifty-six video games final year. The 29-year-old Gibson is locked into a long-term contract, and even if he struggles once more and Verbeek finds a way to alternate him, he’ll in all likelihood have to receive an arduous contract in return.
Verbeek nonetheless has greater than $18.8 million in cap house to play with, however it’s not going he will go all-in to bring up the Ducks into a actual Cup chance this season. Rather, he’ll take his lumps, carry in greater younger players, and intention for a higher season a yr or two down the line.
At that point, Eakins will possibly be long past and changed by means of Verbeek’s first head teaching hire. That may additionally no longer be truthful to Eakins, however as we all need to recognize by way of now, equity and the NHL teaching world are no longer usually connected.
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