Sheldon Keefe lays out game plan for Devils

After falling outside of the playoff race in a season they entered being viewed as legitimate contenders, the New Jersey Devils terminated veteran bench boss Lindy Ruff, and replaced him on an interim basis with Travis Green, who was not retained and has since resurfaced in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa with the Senators.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired Sheldon Keefe shortly after they were eliminated in Round 1 of the postseason once again by the rival Boston Bruins. It wasn't long before Devils management reached out to Keefe, who accepted the job and is now the bench boss in Newark. 

Keefe, who departed Toronto ranked 5th in franchise history in total with a record of 212-97-40, knows he's been tasked with getting the franchise back on track and on the trajectory toward the Stanley Cup. 

“With the players, there’s a real culture and expectation of winning here. They’re very disappointed with what happened in the past. All through the organization everyone feels that way," Keefe said. "There’s been an absolute full commitment on all levels by everyone I’ve interacted with to get it right and get back on track right away. But the belief has never wavered within the organization. I think there’s tremendous belief there.”

“There are a lot of elite teams in the NHL at generating and producing offence, the New Jersey Devils certainly are one. We’ll continue to lean in on that. That’s a big part of who we are,” he said. “The foundation of any successful team is the ability to defend its net and keep pucks out of its net ultimately. That will be a major priority and focus for us. It’s got to be a big part of our identity. It’s got to be difficult to get to our net and get to our goaltenders. We have a lot of belief in our goaltenders.”

With a full offseason to prepare for his new surroundings and players, Keefe will be entering the 2024-25 campaign ready to lead the Devils back to what he and they hope will be a lengthy postseason run. 

“I’ve never had a full off-season like this, to fully take advantage of the time and learn as much as you can,” Keefe said. “I’m still learning every single day of course and will when the players come in. You’ll learn each day. You’ll have opinions and thoughts. When you start working with people 1-on-1 or seeing them in their element, you learn even more.”

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