He was without any foundational relationships, including in the dressing room. He realizes it was a mistake to try to bypass that step in an attempt to make the Oilers change in a hurry. Eakins' my-way-or-the-highway plan only led to a mess.
One of his biggest miscues was the implementation of an involved defensive scheme that led to frequent whiteboard teaching -- and the resulting standing around by players -- during practices.
He also had the pingpong table removed from the dressing room, believing it to be a distraction and, in the process, alienated some players who saw it as a team-bonding experience.
Most importantly, the Oilers went 29-44-9 in his first season and were the NHL's worst defensive team during Eakins' tenure, allowing 370 goals in his 113 games, 20 more than the next closest team in that span, the Islanders.
"It's easy to say and sometimes harder to do but it comes with maturity as a coach to just be yourself because there's no use trying to be anybody else," Eakins said. "Doing things that are out of your own character or values usually (doesn't) go well."
Given another chance, Eakins feels much better about where he is now.
"[Since] I was hired [by the Ducks], I've felt at home every day," Eakins said. "This is coming naturally, whereas the other one felt unnatural, and it's nothing against that organization or the city. There are lots of fabulous people there, but I felt like a foreigner there.
"But the biggest thing ... that's going to be different is that when I took on my first NHL job, I started from scratch. This time, it's amazing how humbling it is to get to coach in this league but this time I get to start from experience."
Being fired in Edmonton on Dec. 15, 2014 after a tumultuous stint had the potential to sabotage a coaching career. But Eakins refused to quit and said he bounced back quickly, thanks to a rigid self-examination of where things went wrong.
He also said Brian Burke, who was the general manager of the Maple Leafs from 2008-13 and his boss when he coached Toronto of the AHL, and Murray were key hockey people in a varied support group that included his wife, Ingrid, and his two young daughters, after the Oilers dismissed him.
Murray chose Eakins to coach the new San Diego AHL franchise six months after he was fired in Edmonton.
Their relationship extends back to when Eakins was playing for the Atlanta Thrashers' minor-league affiliate in Chicago and Murray was a pro scout who made regular scouting trips to look at prospects on the team. He respected how Eakins mentored younger players like Braydon Coburn and Garnet Exelby. Later their paths crossed when Eakins was the coach in Toronto (AHL) and was regularly sending players to the NHL, a feat Eakins would repeat upon taking over San Diego, going 154-95-15-8 in his four seasons.