IRVINE, Calif. — Thirty-six years. That is how long Greg Cronin has spent in the coaching ranks, on a winding road that’s cut through the collegiate and pro levels and moved between the NHL and the American Hockey League. But it wasn’t until this past June when Pat Verbeek gave the 60-year-old former Islanders and Maple Leafs assistant his first NHL head coaching gig with the Ducks.
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And on Day 1 of training camp at Great Park Ice, Cronin ran his first Ducks practices with his best offensive center and one of his top puck-moving defensemen nowhere near the facility. Talk about kicking off your dream job with a whimper.
Cronin didn’t have Mason McTavish, either but the 20-year-old center coming off a nice rookie season was watching from behind the glass, kept out for precautionary measures to nurse a muscle issue suffered during a workout Wednesday. The Ducks have no serious concern over him.
But Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale not being at practice, as the two remain unsigned? Now that’s serious.
It is concerning to a fan base that has seen them as bright lights for the rebuilding Ducks from the moment they scored their first goals 2 1/2 minutes apart in Drysdale’s first NHL game. Zegras is the headliner, the attention-grabbing playmaker who has become their marketable face. Their absence is obviously noticeable, but Cronin took to downplaying, or even disregarding, the worry.
“I don’t even spend a second on that,” Cronin said. “They’re obviously a big part of our organization, but they’re not here. We’ve got to focus on the people that are here. It’s out of my control. I thought the guys that were here were totally dialed in right from the meetings to the off-ice conditioning program to their post-practice conversations. I really enjoyed it.”
Now in his third season as general manager, Verbeek is in the thick of a snag in not reaching agreeable ground with the agents of Zegras and Drysdale. He’s held a position of not discussing contract talks, and stuck to that Thursday. But he knew it was a topic that had to be addressed in some manner.
“Well, obviously, those two guys are a big part of our future,” Verbeek said. “Big part of our team right now. I don’t talk about contracts. That’s our policy. I can’t give you anything as far as what’s going on in that arena. Unfortunately, this is part of the business that none of us … it’s a necessary evil so to speak.
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“We have to go through this process, and I believe it’s a process. Sometimes we like to have it happen quicker. But right now, it is where it is.”
Right now, it’s far apart. The Ducks and Zegras have what The Athletic and TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports is a “tangible gap” in salary proposals, even though they’re in agreement on what would be a three-year extension. It isn’t clear what the separation is between the club and Drysdale, though it is believed they’re also looking at a bridge deal on term.
Something to also think about is possible ramifications that can come from sore feelings if a holdout for either were to drag on throughout camp and into the regular season. Verbeek brushed aside that, saying, “That’s always brought up. I’m not concerned about it. Not concerned about it at all.”
Recalling a time when he was in their shoes as a player, Verbeek said, “I went into camp unsigned (one time), and I understand what these players are going through. I understand what management’s going through. It’s a process. It just has to work itself through.
“There’s constant talks. You just work through it.”
Troy Terry called it “weird” to not see his teammates on the ice and in the dressing room. He has been talking regularly with Zegras and Drysdale. He also knows that the subject of contracts is often taboo among players, especially when they’re going through the negotiation process. He’s got firsthand knowledge, having signed a $49 million extension in August.
“It’s hard because it’s business,” Terry said. “I just signed on for seven years here, so I want what’s best for the organization. But then as two of my really good friends, you want what’s best for them. And it’s just kind of part of the business. I try not to get personal with what’s going on with either side or anything like that.
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“When I was going through it, I didn’t really want people asking me. It is a little bit of taboo in just asking that. For me, it’s just making sure we support them. They got to do what’s best for them and we hope that the organization can do what’s best for them too.”
Until they reach deals, Zegras and Drysdale will sit out camp. It isn’t as if they’ll suddenly fall out of physical condition. The two have trained in the offseason and came to south Orange County in early September to participate in workouts and skates run by players.
But it is different when a coach is running the drills. And in this case, it’s a new head coach.
“When you miss time, obviously it’s difficult because the time on ice and the reps is very important,” Verbeek said. “You can train all during the summer but it’s not the same until you get on the ice. That’s an important part. We have new coaches, new systems, so there’s a lot from that aspect to absorb when you’re a player.
“That will affect them when they come back.”
The Ducks have a distraction on their hands and that’s not ideal for Cronin as he starts to put his stamp on a club that’s picking up the pieces from an NHL-worst 2022-23 season. Two new parts they brought in to help set a better foundation are Alex Killorn and Radko Gudas. Both are 11-year veterans imported from teams that have won, with Killorn hoisting the Stanley Cup twice with Tampa Bay and Gudas being a key part of Florida capturing a Presidents’ Trophy and reaching the Cup Final in consecutive seasons.
“Honestly, they’ve got to be combination player and coach,” Cronin said. “They can help us coach. They do. Alex Killorn has won two Stanley Cups. He’s been to three finals in five years. Like, if you don’t listen to him, you got a screw loose, right? So, obviously we’re trying to bring these guys in and we’re trying to feed them the ideology and the standards that we’re creating, the goals we’re creating, and the process how we’re going to do it. And they’re good people.
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“I’ve been around a long time. I watched Tampa from the Islanders’ bench, the Toronto bench. I watched (Jon) Cooper’s team play in the American League and the USHL. He does things that obviously win championships. If Alex wants to share something with me that’s going to strengthen what we’re doing, I’m going to listen.”
As he moved from the Lightning to the Ducks with a four-year, $25 million contract, Killorn knew he was heading from a perennial contender to a team trying to rise from the bottom. He is drawing on experiences from when he first broke in with Tampa Bay and the Bolts went 18-26-4 in a lockout-shortened season. Cooper took over as coach late in that year and the Lightning missed the playoffs only once over the following decade.
Killorn’s eyes are open to where Anaheim is now. But he is also someone that isn’t used to losing.
“I haven’t wrapped my mindset around it yet, to be honest,” he said. “I kind of keep the same mindset. When things start to happen, then I’ll kind of change my mindset. But we’ve won. I like to think I’m a winner, and I’m not going to change my mindset because this team’s lost in the past. Hopefully, I can bring a winning mindset to this team. And whether or not we win every game or lose every game, we’ll kind of build in the right direction. That’s kind of been my feel.”
To start building something, it helps to have all your workers. Verbeek might be trying to stay prudent in not giving Zegras and Drysdale a massive bag now, the way Ottawa just did in making 21-year-old Jake Sanderson an $8 million defenseman beginning in 2024-25. But at some point, the Ducks’ boss needs those two clocking in with the rest for daily duty.
“They’re both in great shape,” Terry said. “Jamie Drysdale didn’t play hockey last year. He’s in great shape. He wants to play. And Trevor, the first time I saw him, he had a big summer, too. I know they’re in a great position to be ready whenever they come back.
“Hopefully both sides can get it done soon. It’s just part of the business.”
(Top photo of Trevor Zegras: Timothy T. Ludwig / USA Today)
