It was a busy offseason for Tom Fitzgerald and the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey, with another offseason under Fitzgerald, has improved. All their areas of need have been clicked off on his punch list. The Devils have their true number-one starter in Jacob Markstrom. New Jersey’s defense has been revamped and upgraded. Once again, there is depth in the forward group. The missing ingredient is the head coach. Fitzgerald hired a new coach, Sheldon Keefe, to guide these players in the right direction.
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Staying with the offseason, Devils Nation will be grading Tom Fitzgerald on his offseason and whether those areas were truly improved. In Part 1 of the Series, we looked at Goaltending. In Part 2, we graded the defense. Then, in Part 3, we graded the offense. Here, in Part 4, we will grade the coaching hire.
Grading the New Jersey Devils Offseason
Coaching Grade: A
The New Jersey Devils have a new head coach. Lindy Ruff was fired after the All-Star Break. Fitzgerald did not give him all the tools in the toolbox to succeed. However, Ruff was stuck in his ways with certain players being paired and playing, so a change was necessary.
Enter Travis Green. There were improvements under Green. However, he was always going to be the interim head coach. Tom Fitzgerald knew he was making a change after Round 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Once Sheldon Keefe became available, he pounced.
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Fitzgerald saw what Keefe did in Toronto over the last eight years with the Toronto Marlies and the big club, the Toronto Maple Leafs. He took them to the playoffs every year as the head coach. Even though he got past the first round just once, you saw the improvements the Maple Leafs made on defense, especially in Games 5 through 7 of the Boston First Round Series.
That is what Fitzgerald expects from Keefe when he comes to New Jersey. While the results in the playoffs matter most, if you look at what he did, you can see why Tom Fitzgerald wanted him as the Devils head coach. Just look at how he transformed Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews into Selke Trophy finalists. There is potential that Nico Hischier will become that as well.
You can argue that he did more with less in Toronto. The defense in New Jersey is better than what he had in Toronto. Keefe has more talent, including young talent (L. Hughes and Nemec). Offensively, it is about the same; the Maple Leafs had a slight edge. But Keefe saw firsthand how good this roster can be when the Devils and Maple Leafs squared off.
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Let’s not forget the goaltending. Markstrom is the best goaltender Keefe has ever had on a roster. According to sources, Keefe told Fitzgerald he wanted a number one goalie to take the head coaching job. Keefe now has that, and it is one of the better teams Sheldon Keefe will coach.
There are no excuses for the New Jersey Devils and Tom Fitzgerald this season. Keefe can potentially make the Devils into a playoff contender for many years. This coaching hire gets an A grade.
Overall, the Devils and Fitzgerald get an A- grade for their improvements. Expectations are high, and the playoffs are a must this season.
