Dallas Eakins, whose skills at coaching young talent and motivating players were sternly tested this season while the Ducks continued to stumble through a slow and difficult rebuilding process, will not have his contract renewed, the team announced Friday .
The Ducks concluded their season Thursday with a 5-3 loss to the Kings, their 13th defeat in a row. They finished last in the 32-team NHL with a record of 23-47-12 and 58 points, landing them a place in the annual draft lottery.
Despite the often spectacular goaltending of John Gibson, their leaky defense contributed to them giving up 129 more goals than they scored, the league's worst goal differential. They also ranked near the bottom of the NHL in power play and penalty killing efficiency and allowed opponents to take a league-worst average of 39.1 shots per game.
They also gave up a staggering 338 goals, a franchise record. That shattered the record of 271 they had set the previous season. They missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season, their longest drought in their history.
"At the end of the day, I simply feel that a fresh perspective and new voice will be beneficial for the team," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement released Friday morning. "Dallas has handled himself with class and character through a difficult season, and we wish him the best in the future."
Eakins, 56, was hired before the 2019-20 season after having coached the Ducks' San Diego affiliate. The Ducks picked up his contract option for the 2022-23 season after Verbeek — who had taken over as GM in February 2022 — decided to give Eakins time to work with a roster that had been shaken up last season when Verbeek traded several veterans for prospects and draft picks. Eakins kept his job through the season because management had no expectation of making the playoffs and firing him would not have changed the Ducks' trajectory toward becoming a draft lottery team.
Eakins' coaching record in four seasons with the Ducks was 100-147-44, a .419 points percentage calculated by dividing actual points by possible points. For his career, which includes two seasons coaching the Edmonton Oilers, he's 136-210-58.
"I will be forever grateful for my eight years in the Ducks organization," Eakins said in a statement Friday. "From jump-starting San Diego to dealing with COVID to a full-on rebuild was an inspiring and rewarding challenge.
"Every staff member and player made me a better coach, but more importantly, a better person. The enthusiasm and patience of the fans will never be forgotten."
The Ducks expected to have a tough road this season while they moved away from relying on veteran players and toward expanding roles for their younger players, many of whom have the potential to become stars or are well along that path. But the team had a slow start and never put together a meaningful winning streak.
Free-agent signee John Klingberg struggled on defense, and promising defenseman Jamie Drysdale suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in October. After winning their first game and losing their second, the Ducks didn't reach .500 again.
The next coach will inherit a good amount of talent, including forwards Troy Terry, 25; skillful Trevor Zegras, 22; and 20-year-old Mason McTavish, who ranked among the rookie leaders in goals and points this season. Their stockpile of prospects also is highly regarded.
But for them to return to playoff contention, the next coach will need the personnel and defensive game plans to better protect Gibson, who was abandoned by his teammates to face 50 or more shots four times this season and to face at least 40 shots on 16 other occasions.
