The Ducks, who finished with the fewest points in the NHL last season, remain in search of a new head coach to guide them along in their rebuild.

Who will that coach be? General manager Pat Verbeek is keeping a tight lid on the situation as he moves through candidates and narrows them down to finalists. While he has said he could go beyond the draft (June 28-29) to make his hire, Verbeek would like to have the successor to Dallas Eakins in place before the team makes its all-important No. 2 overall draft pick.

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It’s even possible that a hire could come within the next week. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Verbeek will be conducting interviews while at the NHL Scouting Combine, which begins Sunday. But could he wrap things up before heading to Buffalo? While not addressing whether he has conducted second interviews with candidates or offering similar specifics, Verbeek on Friday told The Athletic, “Things are progressing nicely. We are working toward a solution.”

It will be his first coaching hire since taking over as Anaheim’s GM 16 months ago. And the new coach will work with a roster that includes Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, Mason McTavish and Jamie Drysdale as top young players, with veterans such as Cam Fowler, Ryan Strome and Jakob Silfverberg sprinkled in. Barring any offseason trade, Adam Henrique and John Gibson also will be among their leaders. The No. 2 pick — which likely will be Adam Fantilli or Leo Carlsson — could join that group, assuming either signs an entry-level contract and stands out at the Ducks’ fall camp.

So, who will the Ducks turn to behind the bench? Travis Green could hold some meaningful interest. Green, 52, led Vancouver to a 133-147-34 record over four-plus seasons. Only one had a winning record and a postseason berth — the COVID-19-impacted 2019-20 season, in which he led the Canucks to series wins over Minnesota and St. Louis before a Game 7 second-round loss to Vegas.

But Green knows the Orange County market as a full-time resident and a former Mighty Ducks player on two occasions (101 games between 1998-99, seven games in 2006-07). While with the Canucks, he had Bo Horvat as his captain and coached Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko early in their careers. Horvat has moved on to the New York Islanders but the others remain core pieces of the Canucks.

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This wouldn’t be the first time that Green and the Ducks have talked about a job opening. Former GM Bob Murray strongly considered Green in 2016 to replace Bruce Boudreau, but opted to bring back Stanley Cup-winning Randy Carlyle for a second stint. Carlyle lasted 2 1/2 seasons, with the high point of a trip to the Western Conference final in his first year (2017).

When Green was fired by Vancouver on Dec. 5, 2021, the Canucks were in last place in the Pacific Division with an 8-15-2 record. If he were to be the choice for the Ducks, he wouldn’t have the high expectations right off the bat that hung over him while working in a hockey-mad city. The next coach will work from the ground up, as Anaheim’s 23-47-12 record last season was the worst in franchise history. Verbeek, who has talked to numerous candidates over the past few weeks, has made it clear that he intends to be patient with his rebuild.

Another possibility in Verbeek’s wide net, Greg Cronin, interviewed with Boston last summer after the Bruins let Bruce Cassidy go and before they ultimately went with Jim Montgomery. Cronin, the 60-year-old former Northeastern head coach, had been an assistant with Toronto and the New York Islanders before taking over as coach of the AHL’s Colorado Eagles in 2018. He’s led the Avalanche’s top minor-league affiliate to winning records in four of his five seasons. The Eagles advanced to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs this spring.

Seattle assistant Jay Leach, Pittsburgh assistant Mike Vellucci and Boston assistant Joe Sacco have also been mentioned as potential candidates for head coaching openings around the league. Sacco, 54, was an original Mighty Duck who played five seasons for the franchise and coached the Avalanche from 2009-13. It isn’t clear if either of the three are among those Verbeek interviewed.

Andrew Brunette and Spencer Carbery were part of Anaheim’s initial search, with The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir reporting that Carbery interviewed with the Ducks. Brunette was hired by Nashville, which fired John Hynes. Carbery was hired by Washington, where the first-time NHL head coach is succeeding veteran Peter Laviolette.

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Those who don’t seem to be in the Anaheim mix are Boudreau and two other former NHL head coaches, Jeff Blashill and Kevin Dineen.

Boudreau led the Ducks to four consecutive Pacific Division titles and a trip to the Western Conference final during his run from 2012-16. He’s a coaching lifer who has also helmed Washington, Minnesota and Vancouver. He’d love a second opportunity to turn things around in SoCal but it doesn’t appear that will happen.

Blashill was an assistant to Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper in 2022-23 after spending seven seasons leading Detroit. Though Verbeek — who was Detroit’s assistant GM before coming to Anaheim — is obviously familiar with his experience presiding over the Red Wings’ rebuild through most of his tenure, that doesn’t seem to have been given Blashill any leg up when it comes to overseeing something familiar in Anaheim.

Dineen has led the AHL’s Utica Comets the last two seasons. He coached the Ducks’ AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, to winning records during two COVID-19 shortened campaigns after five years as an assistant in Chicago, mostly working with Joel Quenneville. Dineen and Verbeek were teammates with the Hartford Whalers for two-plus years.

Another coach who doesn’t appear to be under consideration is Benoit Groulx, who has led Tampa Bay’s American Hockey League affiliate the last seven seasons.

While guiding the Syracuse Crunch, the 55-year-old Groulx coached numerous NHL-bound players, including Yanni Gourde, Anthony Cirelli, Erik Cernak and Ross Colton. Carter Verhaeghe, who became a 42-goal scorer for Stanley Cup finalist Florida, may be Groulx’s greatest success story in terms of developing players. In 2021, Groulx interviewed for the opening in Arizona, which went to Andre Tourigny.

However, it seems unlikely that Groulx’s first chance at running an NHL bench will be in Anaheim, despite Verbeek’s familiarity with his work during his years in the Lightning front office.

(Photo of Travis Green: Bob Frid / USA Today)