Devils GM Praises Work of New Head Coach

It didn't take long for the New Jersey Devils to see success under their new bench boss.

Nov 12, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe watches from the bench against the Florida Panthers during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The New Jersey Devils were disappointed with how their 2023-24 season turned out, but they revamped the right areas and entered this year looking like Stanley Cup contenders. Through the first portion of the season, the Devils have emerged as one of the top teams in the NHL with one of the best records in the Eastern Conference.

The offseason didn’t see an overhaul of the Devils roster or anything, just a bolstering in key areas like defense and goaltending. While off the ice, the Devils went in a new direction behind the bench with the hire of Sheldon Keefe from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While some questioned the move thanks to Keefe’s lack of playoff success in Toronto, Devils’ general manager Tom Fitzgerald defended his decision. In an interview with Responsible Gambler, Fitzgerald says he didn’t look to look too far past Keefe’s coaching record.

“Look, I don’t care what anyone says,” Fitzgerald told rg.org. “This is a guy who has made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in all five seasons he has been an NHL head coach.”

In five years as the Maple Leafs’ bench boss, Keefe picked up a 212-97-40 record, good for a .665 points percentage over 349 games. Aside from being a top available coach, Fitzgerald said there was real work put into the Devils’ hiring process.

“We really loved the scouting reports and research we did on Sheldon, and he’s lived up to it and more,” Fitzgerald said. “Hiring him and doing what we did in the offseason is paying off.”

With a 23-11-3 record through 36 games of the 2024-25 season, the Devils have seen a quick turnaround under Keefe. After a 38-39-5 season in 2023-24, Keefe and the Devils have put themselves back in the driver’s seat.

“Sheldon has taken care of business and checked every box we wanted him to,” Fitzgerald said. “I know there were things with our team that Sheldon needed to change... There is a standard to our practices, and our guys are now used to that.”

The Devils are deep in the hunt for a playoff spot and could quickly emerge as a legitimate Cup contender if things keep going their way.

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