The six-game win streak of the Anaheim Ducks ended on Tuesday (Nov. 7) in a 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Still, Anaheim is off to an impressive 7-5-0 start to the 2023-24 season, and there is plenty to talk about.
NHL Issues Cronin with $25,000 Fine
Anaheim head coach Greg Cronin was fined $25,000 on Nov. 3 for unprofessional conduct directed at the officials. The bench boss of the Ducks received a game misconduct at the 19:25 mark of the second period in the team’s 4-3 win over the Penguins on Oct. 30. The players have rallied around Cronin, and the team’s renewed attitude has been noticeable on and off the ice.
“I think if you spend any amount of time with him, you know that he’s fully invested in this,” said Cam Fowler of Cronin. “He loves all of his players. He’s hard on us and he expects a lot. But at the end of the day, he’s in our corner. We always want to go to bat for each other. That’s part of being a team. He’s the leader of our team. Yeah, that’s just an example of it. But we didn’t need to see that in order for that to be reinforced.” (from ‘How ‘brutally honest’ coach Greg Cronin is getting the surprising Ducks to respond,’ The Athletic, Nov. 8, 2023). As the longest-tenured member of the Ducks, Fowler’s opinion should carry some extra weight.
Related: 5 Takeaways from the Ducks’ Winning Road Trip
Cronin has been holding every player accountable, which was demonstrated when he benched Trevor Zegras in Anaheim’s 3-2 overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct 24. To his credit, Zegras took it all in stride and vowed to be better. Cronin has his players buying into his high standards, so in the end, the hefty fine from the league is a small price to pay.
McTavish Earns Third Star of the Week
Mason McTavish was named the NHL’s third star of the week for the period ending Nov. 5 after he collected three goals and two assists in three contests. He potted two game-winning goals and set up Troy Terry’s overtime tally against the Arizona Coyotes on Nov. 1. Unfortunately, McTavish came up short in his bid to become just the third player in Anaheim history to factor in on the game-winning goal in four straight games. Ryan Getzlaf accomplished the feat in 2015-16, and Teemu Selanne earned the milestone in 2010-11.
Still, it has been a spectacular start to the season for McTavish, who leads the Ducks in scoring with 13 points (six goals, seven assists) through 12 games. He is also tied for the league lead with three game-winning tallies. McTavish’s career-high, seven-game point streak was snapped in Anaheim’s shutout loss to the Penguins, but the 20-year-old forward is quickly establishing himself as a clutch performer.
No Timetable for Drysdale’s Return
Jamie Drysdale hasn’t played since Oct. 15 against the Carolina Hurricanes because of a lower-body injury. He is out indefinitely and remains on injured reserve. Prior to getting injured, he had an even-strength assist in each of his two appearances. He also had three shots on goal, three hits, and one blocked shot over 22:30 of average ice time.
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Coach Cronin provided an update Nov. 7 on Drysdale’s status, and it wasn’t very encouraging. “He’s got one of those injuries that’s really hard to pinpoint the recovery [time]. I think [head athletic trainer Chad Walker] and his staff are doing a great job managing him. It’s one of those things, you don’t want him coming back early. He’s got to be fully healed so we’ll just wait and see till he’s ready.”
Drysdale was limited to just eight games last season because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Obviously, this injury situation is different, but hopefully, it doesn’t linger for too long. Drysdale has already missed a year of development and sat out most of training camp because of a contract holdout.
Fortunately, the Ducks can afford to be patient with Drysdale’s recovery because the team finally has some defensive depth. The emergence of rookie defenders Pavel Mintyukov and Jackson LaCombe has played a significant role in the team’s early-season success. LaCombe ranks second among first-year players in average ice time per contest (20:19), and Mintyukov sits seventh (19:18). Additionally, Mintyukov is tied for first among all rookies in scoring with eight points (one goal, seven assists) over 12 games, which has placed him in the way-too-soon Calder Trophy conversation.
Ducks Looking Ahead
Any trade that Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek makes will likely take place much further down the line. The organization may have to re-evaluate things if the team continues to take meaningful steps forward. If Anaheim eventually drifts down the standings, then it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team started unloading players in trades as it has done in the past. However, that shouldn’t be on anyone’s mind right now. Just sit back and enjoy the vastly improved play of the new-look Ducks.