ANA_Eakins

Dallas Eakins received an endorsement as Anaheim Ducks coach from Bob Murray, and the general manager said he is trying to upgrade the roster.

The Ducks (8-12-6) are seventh in the eight-team Honda West Division and 2-5-3 in their past 10 games following a 6-5 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. The top four teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I've got total confidence in Dallas," Murray said Monday. "I think he's doing a pretty good job right now with everything that's going on. I have no issues whatsoever. I have no problem with Dallas. I think he's doing a great job this year."
The Ducks entered Monday averaging 2.16 goals per game this season, the second-fewest in the NHL behind the Detroit Red Wings (2.08).
Eakins was hired June 17, 2019, and is 37-45-15 with the Ducks, who have missed the playoffs the past two seasons. Murray said the coach's job is not in jeopardy, but he would be looking to upgrade the roster before the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline on April 12.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat anything," Murray said. "Our record is not good enough. I expected to be better and we're not. There's no sugarcoating it."
Murray also said he has not asked center Ryan Getzlaf to consider waiving his no-movement clause, even though the captain is in the final season of an eight-year contract he signed March 8, 2013. The 35-year-old has scored 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 24 games this season.
Getzlaf has played his entire NHL career with the Ducks, since 2005. He has scored 976 points (277 goals, 699 assists) in 1,077 regular-season games and 120 points (37 goals, 83 assists) in 125 playoff games, which included a Stanley Cup championship in 2007.
"I talked to the agent last week, I've talked to 'Getzy' a little bit," Murray said. "I'm tired of hearing this from Toronto anymore, how his name is out there [in media rumors]. The only way Ryan Getzlaf would go anywhere is if he came to me and said, 'Bob, can you try and trade me to a contender?'
"As for next year, we've talked and we're going to see how he feels after this year. We'll see how his body feels. We'll see how it's going. You know, he may just say, 'I don't want to keep going through this rebuild we're doing here.' But the relationship is wonderful and he's not going anywhere."