New Jersey Devils Hire Sheldon Keefe as the Next Head Coach

As Full Press Hockey reported Monday night and in the days before the hire , it was Sheldon Keefe’s job to lose.

In addition, the Full Press Hockey Podcast mentioned that the Devils would have to pay up for their next head coach. When they hired Lindy Ruff, they settled for him because they did not want to pay Peter Laviolette or Gerard Gallant.

However, this time, the Devils decided to step up and pay Sheldon Keefe as the next head coach. Keefe could have sat around for two years as his extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs had not kicked in yet, but the Devils ripped that up and gave him a four-year deal with a significant increase.

This is an excellent hire for the Devils. During his five seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they made the playoffs every year. However, they only advanced past the first round once. That was the playoff series win in 2023, Toronto’s first since 2004.

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Keefe compiled a record of 212-97-40 with the Maple Leafs, for a .622 points percentage of the coaches on the market, the best winning percentage over the last five years. So once he became available, Sheldon Keefe immediately jumped to the top of the Devils list.

Just look what he did with players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Morgan Reilly. The Maple Leafs finished third or better during his time in Toronto. Now, he comes to a team he can grow with.

The Devils have a talented roster led by Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, Jesper Bratt, and Dawson Mercer. Considering what the Devils did two years ago, making the second round of the playoffs with 52 wins and 112 points, you have to think that Keefe can have similar results with this roster.

Again, General Manager Tom Fitzgerald was looking for someone hard on players, a good communicator, and who used analytics. Keefe checked all those boxes.

Again, it all came down to whether he wanted to coach. When Keefe was fired by the Maple Leafs he said in his video that he wanted to take some time to recharge with his family. So, this was always his job if he wanted it. That was the delay.

With the coach out of the way, the Devils have worked to address their defense and goaltending during the offseason.

But the New Jersey Devils got their man in Sheldon Keefe.