Dallas Eakins, whose skills at coaching young talent and motivating players were sternly tested this season while the Ducks continued to stumble through a slow and difficult rebuilding process, will not have his contract renewed, the team announced Friday .
The Ducks concluded their season Thursday with a 5-3 loss to the Kings, their 13th defeat in a row. They finished last in the 32-team NHL with a record of 23-47-12 and 58 points, landing them a place in the annual draft lottery.
Despite the often spectacular goaltending of John Gibson, their leaky defense contributed to them giving up 129 more goals than they scored, the league's worst goal differential. They also ranked near the bottom of the NHL in power play and penalty killing efficiency and allowed opponents to take a league-worst average of 39.1 shots per game.
