Is Joel Quenneville the right fit for the Ducks?

Big news out of Orange County on Thursday morning, as it has been reported that Anaheim Ducks will be hiring Joel Quenneville to be the team’s new head coach.

The decision comes after a long absence for the former NHL defenseman. Quenneville had been banned from the NHL in 2021 after the revealing of a report from law firm Jenner & Block citing that Quenneville, then head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, was aware of a sexual assault allegation surrounding former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich and former Blackhawks’ forward Kyle Beach from 2010.

Quenneville, as well as former Hawks general manager Stan Bowman, were reinstated by the league last July.

According to TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger, the Ducks “did an extensive background check” on the three-time Stanley Cup champion coach.

While his past is well-documented, there’s no question Quenneville built up a great coaching resume. Bringing in an experienced and successful coach could be what the Ducks need to turn their fortunes around.

On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli explains why Quenneville is the right guy for the job in Anaheim.

Frank Seravalli: I think this is a great fit on a number of levels for a lot of the things we just talked about. It’s not a white-hot market, which would have made for a different calculation in another market. It takes a general manager who has conviction, and Pat Verbeek clearly has that. I don’t think he’s ever spent a second in his life caring about what people think. … Is he a fit from a team perspective in where they’re heading? They’ve made a significant stride, a 21-point improvement, and Greg Cronin was on his way out. Part of the reason for that is they didn’t believe Greg Cronin was the guy that could take them to the next level.

Joel Quenneville has proven that he has not just the capability to win the Stanley Cup … The Chicago Blackhawks were not a pending three-time Stanley Cup champion in 2008. I’m not saying that’s what the Ducks are going to become, but when you’ve got young pieces, you’ve got talent, you need someone to shepherd you to get to that next level. The Ducks believe he can be that guy. I don’t see any reason why, after being on the sidelines and obviously being hungry to work again, that he couldn’t be that guy.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…