The New Jersey Devils are in the midst of a crucial search for their next head coach going into the 2024 offseason. Lindy Ruff was fired during the season and Travis Green took over the rest of 2023-24 before going to the Ottawa Senators to be their next head coach. The Devils were being linked to Craig Berube, the former St. Louis Blues head coach and Stanley Cup winner. He could end up in Toronto, which just let go of Sheldon Keefe after a first-round exit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The coaching carousel is always turning in the NHL. With Keefe available and the Devils interested, would it be a good hire for New Jersey? We’re here to investigate.
Sheldon Keefe’s coaching resume
First, it makes sense to look at what Keefe did with the Maple Leafs. Keefe started with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL, winning a Calder Cup title in 2018. He replaced Mike Babcock in November of 2019 and went 27-15-5 in the COVID-19 shortened season. The Leafs would lose to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the playoff qualifying round.
In another shortened season in 2020-21, Keefe helped lead the Leafs to first place in the North Division; remember, divisions were altered due to the Pandemic. After going up 3-1 on the Montreal Canadiens, the Leafs would lose three straight and the series. In Keefe’s third season, the Leafs finished with 115 points, setting the franchise mark in a season. But it would result in another seven-game playoff series loss, this time to the eventual East Champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
We go to 2022-23, when the Leafs finally got over the hump, defeating the same Bolts in the first round. It was the first time the franchise had advanced past the first round since 2004. Unfortunately, Toronto ran into the freight train that was the 2023 Florida Panthers, who would win in five games. That brings us to 2023-24.
This season held high expectations for the Maple Leafs. Auston Matthews came one goal shy of scoring 70. William Nylander just signed a fresh contract extension. But the goalie situation remained shaky. The defense as well. Still, the Leafs finished with 102 points and third in the division. Toronto was second in goals per game during the regular season and seventh on the power play. The Leafs were set to face the Bruins in the first round.
Nylander missed the first three games of the series (two losses). When he returned, Matthews left early in Game 4 and was unable to play until Game 7, which the Leafs lost 2-1 in overtime. You never want to make excuses for a playoff loss. But when you’re missing arguably your most important player for three games and then your best player exits, it’s not ideal. All that and the Leafs were one goal away from pulling it off after going down 3-1 in the series. You’ve got to give Keefe some credit there.
If you at what Keefe did over his four-plus seasons in Toronto, it’s pretty remarkable. He did better than Babcock in a lot of ways, which is impressive. The Maple Leafs won the fifth most games from 2020-21 until now and were top-5 in both goals scored on power-play percentage in that span. While the playoff results weren’t exactly there, remember, Keefe is just 43 years old and in his first NHL coaching stint. It’s going to be tough to point to a coach who did better in their first five seasons coaching in the League.
How would Keefe fit in with the Devils?
A season ago in 2022-23, the Devils finished with 112 points and nearly won the Metro Division title. New Jersey would beat the Rangers in the first round before bowing out to the Hurricanes. All this with an inexperienced roster with a lot of young talent like Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer. What stood out that season vs. 2023-24 was how relentless the Devils were. They’d just skate all over teams and play hard on every shift. Eventually, the Devils would wear down opponents, forcing them into long shifts or mistakes, which New Jersey would capitalize on through elite skill. If that’s the model the Devils need to get back to, Keefe feels like someone who can implement that type of system again.
A lot of New Jersey’s potential success next season will hinge on what GM Tom Fitzgerald does this offseason. Upgrading the bottom-6 and blue line while adding a starting-caliber goaltender. But we’ve seen how much success Keefe can have during the regular season with a talented roster. The Devils aren’t that much different than the Maple Leafs in that respect.
You have elite forwards in Hischier, Bratt and Hughes (Nylander, Matthews, Marner). If defenseman Dougie Hamilton returns healthy from injury, you’ve got your puck-moving defenseman. Luke Hughes should improve after a Calder Trophy finalist season. Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey could have an impact. Mercer regressed this past season and W Alexander Holtz could never catch on with Ruff as coach. Perhaps the most important forward is Timo Meier, who came on strong late in the season after Ruff was fired. Keefe should have a good idea of where Meier will fit in with this forward group and on the PP.
One could argue the Devils have a much more talented roster than the Maple Leafs going into 2024-25. Keefe should have no problem getting the Devils back among the top offensive teams in the NHL. New Jersey finished 12th in scoring this past regular season after finishing top-5 in 2022-23. The Devils have struggled to fix the power play for what feels like over a decade. New Jersey finished outside the top-10 in PP% each of the past two seasons. Keefe should help improve that.
So if this a good fit?
Yes. Again, if Fitz can add some more toughness, leadership, grit and speed to the forward group while upgrading the blue line and goaltending, the Devils’ roster should be stacked. It appeared stacked going into 2023-24 and injuries, key players leaving and regression in net derailed everything. It happens to even the best teams.
New Jersey still has one of the youngest rosters in the NHL and that core should be very hungry and motivated. Perhaps a younger Keefe can relate to the players a bit more than Ruff. We also saw that the best defense was a great offense for New Jersey a season ago. Keefe is a great offensive hockey mind. He’s gotten some of the playoff woes out of the way and hopefully has learned from them in Toronto. Also keep in mind, New Jersey is a vastly less pressure-packed hockey market. That should be good for Keefe.
While Berube still feels like a better fit, maybe a more offensive-minded coach is what the Devils need. So if Fitz believes that’s the right path, fans should feel good in that decision.
