Sheldon Keefe is ready to bring the New Jersey Devils to the next step, as he was recently hired as their new head coach.
Keefe was recently fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs after being bounced in the first round against the Boston Bruins again.
During his time in Toronto, he helped coach another young core with NHL stars like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. He coached them to terrific regular seasons but continuously failed to produce in the playoffs. In 349 games coached at an NHL level, he won 212 of them, lost 97, and lost in overtime 40 times. This gave him a win percentage of .665%.
He has the best win percentage of any Maple Leafs head coach and made the playoffs in every season he was there.
Keefe has had experience coaching young talent at every level, another reason why General Manager Tom Fitzgerald was so interested in hiring him.
Coming into New Jersey Keefe is ready to change that. Head coach Keefe has a lot to work with with the core of captains Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Luke Hughes, and Dougie Hamilton.
Seeing how Toronto was an offensive powerhouse, if Keefe decides to play the same style he played in Toronto, this could help the Devils become an offensive weapon similar to their impressive 2022-23 season.
He made it clear he will be holding players accountable. But, he will hold them accountable in ways that help those players. Not everyone can be benched if they do something wrong because that can ultimately end up hurting the team. A good coach, like Keefe, knows how to hold his players accountable in a way that will help them and the team.
The Devils' new coach is ready to bring the Stanley Cup to New Jersey, but he is aware of steps needed to be taken to get there. For example, first, they have to get to the playoffs.
With the right players and the right head coach, Devils fans should be excited for the future.
Be sure to check out JerseySportingNews.com for more on Keefe and the Devils during the offseason!
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- Devils Announce Pre-Season Schedule - June 18, 2024
- New Head Coach Sheldon Keefe is Ready For NJ - May 30, 2024
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