Anaheim Ducks: Top three questions the Ducks must answer this season

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(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) – Anaheim Ducks /

Can new Anaheim Ducks’ Head Coach Dallas Eakins be successful at the NHL level?

That is the big question. In his first head coaching gig at the NHL level with the Edmonton Oilers back in 2013-14, Eakins tried to do too much to fast. It was only near the end of his stint midway through the next season that he realized he needed to slow things down and try not to change everything all at once.

That’s because when you want to win, you tend to change everything fast. And when you do that, the team can be a dumpster fire. And the players can be unhappy and disgruntled, knowing they do not know what their role is on the team.

Fast forward a few years later and Eakins has done well with the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks AHL farm team. After having spent four years at the AHL level and essentially building a winning culture in San Diego for the young players, Murray is hoping Eakins can do the same with the veterans and young players at the NHL level.

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Eakins has excelled at building relationships and even admitted this offseason during an exclusive Orange Alliance Meeting with ticket holders that he was going to start getting to better know his the players for next season. Building a connection with each and every player is huge because it shows that you are approachable and care.

A famous quote I remember from Eakins during that meeting was, “They (the Ducks players) won’t care how much I know until they know how much I care.”

Eakins will be tasked with rebuilding a winning culture in Anaheim. This will not be easy as he will need to find a way to integrate the youth with the veterans. However, Eakins has an advantage because he worked with several of the young players like Terry, Steel, Jones, and Comtois who were previous Gulls.

Slowly experimenting with the lines and what works and what works will be part of the process. Patience and not changing too much too quickly will allow Eakins to carefully evaluate what needs to change and what needs to stay the same. Remember, these Ducks are in a transition with their team identity so Eakins will play a large role in what identity that will eventually be.

But whatever Eakins does, he must make sure that his team on board to have the success that the Ducks organization and players are looking for.

To answer the overarching question, I am confident that Eakins can be successful in NHL with the Ducks. And hopefully, that success can start this season.

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