Greg Cronin reacts from the bench against the Florida Panthers during the third period. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/fe1502c9-abb1-47f6-8b28-17fe4fc910de.jpeg] Greg Cronin reacts from the bench against the Florida Panthers during the third period. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) The Anaheim Ducks announced Saturday [https://www.nhl.com/ducks/news/ducks-head-coach-cronin-will-not-return] that Greg Cronin will not be returning as the club's head coach for the 2025-26 season. Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek had the following to say after Cronin's firing: “I want to personally thank Greg for his tireless work and dedication to the team,” said Verbeek. “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.” Which NHL playoff team could go on a Cinderella run in the 2025 post-season? Cronin was first brought in as the head coach of the Ducks on June 4, 2023 and spent two seasons at his post, leading the Ducks to a 62-87-15 record during that time. Coaching the Ducks was Cronin's first foray into the NHL head-coaching scene. Prior to his time in Anaheim, he spent five seasons as the head coach of the AHL's Colorado Eagles from 2018-2023. Even earlier, Cronin saw time as an NHL assistant with both the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs between 2011 and 2018. The Arlington, Mass. native also spent time coaching at the college level, most notably as head coach of Northeastern University from 2005-2011, and earlier as an assistant coach for the University of Maine from 1988-1990 and 1993-1995. The Ducks failed to advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs during both seasons under Cronin, with the team's last post-season appearance coming back in 2018. This season, the Ducks performed better than last year – they had 59 standings points in 2023-24 versus 80 in 2024-25 – but weren't any closer to a post-season berth, finishing 16 points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference and with the 25th worst record in the league. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
