NHL rookie camps, training camps, and preseason are mere weeks away, and the page will be turned on the seemingly endless offseason of 2024.
The Anaheim Ducks are in the midst of the NHL’s fourth-longest playoff drought (Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators), having missed the playoffs and been among the bottom ten teams of the NHL standings for six straight seasons.
NHL Awards Preview: What are the Odds of a Ducks Player Winning the 2025 Hart Trophy?
Like many teams at the bottom of the NHL standings in 2023-24, their goal for 2024-25 is to make significant strides toward contention and play more meaningful hockey later in the season.
To achieve that goal, several roster players, young and veteran, along with the coaching staff will have to raise some eyebrows, turn some heads, and possibly even emerge as NHL Awards candidates.
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Jack Adams Award
The Jack Adams is awarded annually to the NHL head coach “adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success” for a given season.
Typically the award is handed out to the coach of the team that most outperforms expectations.
According to Draft Kings Sportsbook, the favorites to win the 2025 Jack Adams Award are New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe (+600), Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Burnette (+700), and Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube (+850).
NHL Awards Preview: The Chances a Ducks Goaltender Wins the Vezina
Anaheim Ducks head coach Greg Cronin (+4000) doesn’t have the longest odds of winning the award but has the second-longest behind coaches like Ryan Warsofsky (San Jose Sharks), Ryan Huska (Calgary Flames), and 2024 Jack Adams winner Rick Tocchet (Vancouver Canucks), who all have +5000 odds.
Greg Cronin
Cronin (61) was hired as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks on June 5, 2023. He was brought in to establish a culture based on work ethic, accountability, and attention to detail.
He also instituted a high-tempo system with a focus on man-to-man defensive zone coverage and high-pressure forechecking tactics to force mistakes and turnovers from the opposition.
With the new set of standards and a demanding style, growing pains took hold of the team in Cronin’s first year behind the bench. While the defensive structure was less leaky than in years prior, further diligence is required and expected moving forward.
“They all said when they came in here (to meet with me) that next year will be so much easier because they know me,”…