Sheldon Keefe hired as new head coach of the Devils

[Divine]

I though you were referring to coaches when you mentioned Babcock.
And I didn't realize you had a time frame on "Toronto" only including Matthews
But I got it all now.

Since you mention Dubas I see he's keeping his streak going .
Won one round .......soon to be...... still one.
Keefe too.

Well that's your problem - you should read the post before jumping in.

No one is talking about the 100 year history of the Leafs. The management involved with the current Leafs team gets hired very quickly after being fired by the Leafs.

If you think NJ will never win a round because of Keefe, that's your opinion.

 

[McDuffz88]

A team thst can't win in the play offs hires a coach that can't win in the play offs.
Nice move

Our team has only made the playoffs once and when they did they beat the NY to go to round 2. So Keefe coming in, if he can get us to the playoffs every year is a success. Besides that Keefe will have much better defense in NJ & I have a feeling Fitz goes all out on a goalie during the off season. This is Keefe's best opportunity. Out of all the coaching gigs this one is the most coveted. The core is intact and all young & have experienced winning a round. They just need to get some team structure & get a goalie and NJ can be a powerhouse.

 

[notbias]

Hes bad. I know people will say well it is Toronto but no asjustments and strange line rolling, not sure why an underacheiving franchise hired an underachieving coach but we'll see.

It seems to be working out well for the Panthers and Maurice...

 

[PaulD]

Our team has only made the playoffs once and when they did they beat the NY to go to round 2. So Keefe coming in, if he can get us to the playoffs every year is a success. Besides that Keefe will have much better defense in NJ & I have a feeling Fitz goes all out on a goalie during the off season. This is Keefe's best opportunity. Out of all the coaching gigs this one is the most coveted. The core is intact and all young & have experienced winning a round. They just need to get some team structure & get a goalie and NJ can be a powerhouse.

Definitely.
Keefe has way more to work with in NJ

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Keefe is known for getting badly outcoached in the playoffs. Not sure how I would feel about this hiring if I was a Devils fan.

 

[TheNumber4]

Pretty much garantees the Devils will eliminate the Leaf’s in the 1st round next year for maximum hilarity.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

He is not a good coach. Weird signing by the Devils. Jack Hughes must be fuming.

He is an AHL/CHL level coach.

 

[Menzinger]

Good hire..

He's capable of developing and running good systems and I think has a fairly likable personality. He just ran his course with the Leafs core, and things needed changing. Hell do well with a new group

 

[TheNumber4]

The problem Keefe had in Leafs land is that his best players couldn't perform with the pressures of 1967. No 1967 in NJ, Keefe probably takes off.

 

[viper0220]

Last guy who the Devils hired that had been previously fired Toronto did pretty good

As mentioned above lol. But first thought I had about this.

Who was the last guy?

 

[Divine]

Who was the last guy?

I think it's a reference to Pat Burns but it's not really a similar situation. Pat Burns coached the Leafs earlier in his career and got fired and went on to coach the Bruins. He was then fired by the Bruins and won a Cup with NJ. Toronto was just one of the teams that fired him earlier in his career and he came to NJ 7 years later after coaching a different team in between.

 

[wunderpanda]

this is weird. devils wanted sullivan, but dubas said no before keefe was available. now devils got the guy i thought dubas would want instead of sullivan.

 

[tiburon12]

The problem Keefe had in Leafs land is that his best players couldn't perform with the pressures of 1967. No 1967 in NJ, Keefe probably takes off.

no it was that he couldn't motivate his players enough or make the right changes to overcome whatever baggage they were carrying. The Leafs were smart bringing in a coach he teaches accountability, Keefe was not that and now that's going to plague the Devils.

 

[Leaf Fans]

I think he will be a great coach for the Utica Comets

He likely would be. He will also be a good coach for the Devils.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

I think Keefe will turn things around and become the best Devils head coach since Pat Burns. I don't think they make the playoffs because it'll still be a tough division. But for sure by the 2027 season the Devils will be booking their tickets for the playoffs.

 

[QuizGuy66]

I think it's a reference to Pat Burns but it's not really a similar situation. Pat Burns coached the Leafs earlier in his career and got fired and went on to coach the Bruins. He was then fired by the Bruins and won a Cup with NJ. Toronto was just one of the teams that fired him earlier in his career and he came to NJ 7 years later after coaching a different team in between.

It is comparable in the sense that failing in Toronto in and of itself certainly isn't disqualifying. 3 generations of coaches and players have failed there at this point and gone on to do good things elsewhere. Couldn't get it done in Toronto? Join the club.

A good number of coaches in general win after the first gig. Looking forward to how the rest of his staff is put together (PULEEASE tell me he is bringing a new goalie coach win him) and how the rest of the offseason plays out.

I do think the fact of a 4-year contract implicitly makes it Fitz's last stand though. If it goes sideways the next two years then there would be the fullest of house cleanings. (Which is kinda the norm in terms of general managers)

 

[Voight]

At least he didn't flat out lie like Dubas and say "you won't be seeing me pop up the next week somewhere else"

Good for Keefe, I think he'll do well in NJ. Every coach has their flaws but there's a lot he can learn from his Toronto stint.

 

[Fatass]

It's because the devils want more respect in the handshake line.

Maybe the Devils just want to get to a handshake line?

 

[Killswitch]

More pressure on Berube to do something in Toronto than Keefe in NJ

 

[grcenter47]

I like the hire but Fitzgerald needs to get a goalie

 

[Fatass]

I like the hire but Fitzgerald needs to get a goalie

Yup. Great goalies make coaches look smart.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Trevling won 3 rounds in 9 years in Calgary . Yes, he's brutal.
But Treving was in Calgary when keefe was losingbtinthe Blue Jackets, Habs , Bolts, Panthers .....all the while with his buddy Dubas letting him run the show.

I mean I am not the largest Treliving fan yet, he still scares me a bit.. But there is a difference between a GM who can build a team that makes the playoffs every year and a GM who can take a team like that and put finishing touches on it.

Someone like Rutherford excels at coming in, evaluating, and tweaking to get rosters to the next level. Remains to be seen if Treliving can do that. Leafs have 90% of the pieces needed.

 

[King Woodballs]

You're right, maybe the Jets should have coveted him. They know something about losing prematurely too.

Maybe they did. Maybe they didn’t. I don’t know.
Jets losing in the first round. As old as time itself.

 

[scoopscj]

As a diehard fan since 1990s I love this hire. He's more of an analytics coach, and that was Lindy's weakness. Part of my off-season wishlist is complete.

Now part 2 Get a legit #1 goalie
part 3 Get a 3rd/4th line center than can win face offs and not be an offender.

 

[banks]

He's a good coach. The Leafs should have moved on from him a year earlier, but that's more about the team needing change than him being a problem.

The good: Keefe connects well with his players, generally puts them in a position to succeed, he does give players consistent line mates long enough for them to develop chemistry. He's good with the media, and doesn't tend to get too attached to roleplayer guys.

The bad: He overthinks lines and matchups sometimes. He doesn't come down hard on players when he should. And he doesn't seem to be the best motivator.