"What's happened here lately and what it looks like and how we played, it was time for change. I gave it as long as I could ... this team has a history of being a second-half team, but it wasn't going to happen this year."
The Ducks (21-26-9) have lost seven consecutive games (0-7-0) while being outscored 37-8 and are 2-15-4 in their past 21 games, including a team record 12-game losing streak (0-8-4) from Dec. 18-Jan. 15.
"Hopefully, we can right the ship now," center Ryan Getzlaf said. "Bob's obviously going to implement his vision of what he envisions our team doing and it started today. I'm not exempt from anything that's going on in this room. .... He's going to evaluate me down to the next guy who gets called up, so it's an opportunity for our group to get their eyes open a little bit, maybe, and push in a direction we want to go."
The decision to fire Carlyle came when Murray, who was in Europe, contacted Ducks ownership after a 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 5. Murray informed Carlyle on Sunday when the Ducks returned to Honda Center after a five-game road trip before running practice at Anaheim Ice.
"I don't think it would be fair to put anyone else in this position right now," Murray said. "I felt I needed to be in the trenches. I strongly felt this way. I know this is the right move for our organization right now.
"I'd just like to get them feeling good about themselves and feeling good about playing hockey. There's no passion down there and I'm trying to get it back. Who knows what could happen. This team can lose 12 in a row, but they can win 12 in a row."
Anaheim is last in the Western Conference and eight points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"What bothered me the most was the lack of emotion, the lack of push back," Murray said. "This team has always been a pride team, and that went away. Nothing works if you lack hard work and emotion, and it wasn't there."
The Ducks begin a three-game homestand against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, SN1, FS-W, NHL.TV) and will be evaluating options ahead of the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. ET. Forward Devin Shore, defenseman Michael Del Zotto and center Derek Grant in separate January trades.
"This is the hardest part because we do have good players," Murray said. "I told the players today, 'We have good players, we're just not a good team right now.' This organization, we have to change some things. If the opportunity rises where we can be younger and faster, than I have to look long and hard at it."
Murray said the Ducks were not considering a coaching change after they lost their 11th consecutive game, 4-3 in overtime at the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 13. Instead, Carlyle is the sixth coach fired this season (Dave Hakstol, Philadelphia Flyers; Todd McLellan, Edmonton Oilers; John Stevens, Los Angeles Kings; Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks; Mike Yeo, St. Louis Blues). The 62-year-old coached the Ducks from 2005-11 and won the Stanley Cup in 2007. Anaheim won the Pacific Division twice and qualified for the playoffs seven times under Carlyle.
Carlyle, who has the most wins in Ducks history (384-256-96), was 111-74-35 in his second stint coaching them after being hired June 14, 2016, to replace Bruce Boudreau, who replaced him Dec. 1, 2011. In 13 seasons as coach of the Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs, Carlyle was 475-334-115 in 924 games.
Murray, a three-time finalist for general manager of the year (won in 2013-14), is 509-374-130 in 1,013 NHL games as GM for the Blackhawks and Ducks, and the longest tenured and winningest GM in Anaheim history (445-279-101 in 825 games). He signed a two-year contract extension through the 2021-22 season Dec. 8.
"In order to win, you need to have people who aren't afraid of the adversity," Murray said. "That's what I'm looking for.
"This is not going to be that difficult, for me to have a relationship with the others. There are some players I know will have to get some confidence."
NHL.com correspondent Dan Arritt contributed to this story.
