The New Jersey Devils named Sheldon Keefe their new head coach, Spittin’ Chiclets host Rear Admiral reported on Wednesday.
The 43-year-old Keefe will be introduced at a press conference at Prudential Center at a future date. He spent parts of five seasons as the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, amassing an impressive 212-97-40 overall record, before being fired on May 9th following the team’s first-round playoff exit.
Despite leading the Maple Leafs to back-to-back 50-win seasons and four consecutive playoff appearances, Keefe’s tenure in Toronto was marred by a lack of postseason success. The Leafs were eliminated in the first round three out of the past four seasons under Keefe, including this year’s dramatic Game 7 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins, where they squandered a third-period lead.
The final straw for Keefe was the Leafs’ inability to advance past the first round despite boasting a talented core of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander. The team’s significant dips in expected goal percentage from the regular season to the playoffs also raised concerns about Keefe’s ability to lead the team to playoff success in a championship-starved market like Toronto.
However, Keefe’s impressive regular-season record and ability to develop young talent made him an attractive candidate for the Devils. The team officially announced his hiring via a press release on Thursday morning.
“This is an exciting time, and I’m honored to be a member of the Devils’ organization,” Keefe said in the release. “To have the chance to lead this young, dynamic team and to see the potential that can still be unlocked is all very attractive for me.”
Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald praised Keefe’s resume and communication skills, stating, “Sheldon jumped to the top of my list when he became available, and I was thrilled when he agreed to be a part of what we are building here. He is an excellent communicator, believes in collaboration, and will take what he has learned previously to make this team a Stanley Cup contender.”
Keefe now has the opportunity to revive his coaching image by building a Stanley Cup culture with the Devils’ talented young core, including Jack and Luke Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Timo Meier. The team is desperate for discipline and structure after a disappointing 2023-24 season that saw them miss the playoffs for the 10th time in the last 12 years despite setting franchise records for wins and points the previous season under Lindy Ruff.
