New Jersey
How Are Fans Reacting To Hiring Of Sheldon Keefe as Coach Of The New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils finally found their new head coach in Sheldon Keefe. Keefe, recently fired in Toronto after their Round 1 loss to the Boston Bruins, was announced as the new Devils coach this week.
Most of the other contributors at Pucks and Pitchforks love Tom Fitzgerald’s decision to hire Keefe. But how about the fanbase itself? Do they love the move just as much as we do? Also, what do other fans think about this move?
Many fans had some eye-catching reactions to the move. The below person makes an excellent point about Keefe being an offensive coach who also doesn’t lose focus on a defensive end. He also had multiple playoff seasons in Toronto, while NJ has only had them once in Lindy Ruff’s tenure. This balanced reaction intrigues me about what Keefe can do in his time here.
Love it. Offensive minded coach that doesn’t lose focus on defensive end. Proven track record of success amongst ascending levels of hockey. Has coached a core similar to NJ and had success. If playoff struggles become an issue that means they are consistent playoff team yearly.
— RD (@95NJ00RJ03) May 23, 2024
Next, you have these two reactions, which bring up an excellent point. If Toronto fired him to inherit a scapegoat, he would be looking to try and have better success here in NJ to try and win a cup here. Plus, he is a proven head coach with a good winning percentage.
Proven, young head coach that is going to be even more hungry for success to stick it to Toronto. Surround him with an actual complete team and he will succeed.
— HughesYourDaddy (@AngryJackHughes) May 23, 2024 I’ll take a younger guy who’s never had less than a .586 win % at any stop, with a chip on his shoulder after leaving a hyper scrutinized hockey market. Definitely my top choice of the names that were left on the board.
— Zach Kruk (@zachkruk1) May 23, 2024
This user makes a good point by saying he can use analytics to help him make better decisions for the future. Also, mentioning the Luke Hughes/Simon Nemec pairing that can work, yet the past coaching regime felt that it didn’t work with their pairings makes it more optimistic to see what pairings Keefe can develop.
Glad that we’re getting someone who is interested in analytics as a tool to help make educated decisions. I’m looking at the Hughes/Nemec pairing being the most logical statistically yet Lindy and Green both chose to put both rookies in same-handed pairings that underperformed.
— tommythomp (@heytomlake) May 23, 2024
This fan also makes a good point about Tom Fitzgerald. If he hired someone who was a buddy of his or someone like Todd McLellan or Gerard Gallant, we’d be asking for him to be fired on opening night. Making a point of getting to the playoffs to prove that it’s either the failures of him or the Leafs is a nice touch.
I like it. I am glad they went with an “outsider” and someone who’s not “buddy buddy” with Fitzgerald. Need a fresh perspective. Get to the playoffs every postseason like he’s proven he can do and then we can worry about playoff failures and wonder whether it’s just Toronto.
— Dennis Springer (@devlzfan) May 23, 2024
We didn’t just ask Devils fan their thoughts. We wanted to know what Maple Leafs fans were thinking of the hire. Leafs fans have dealt with Keefe’s tenure in Toronto and know what Devils fans should expect.
First of all, Matthew Spagnulo (@matthewspanyolo) told us through a direct message, “When you think about Keefe as a head coach, he does the basics of any other coach in the NHL, but he knows how to get guys to want to play for him. Travis Dermott said it best when asked for his thoughts on Keefe when he played under him in the Marlies and the NHL. He definitely has his favorites and expects his best players to be the ones to take games for the club. (The) issues arise when trying to really command the room. Good regular season coach, but definitely needs to be able to take the reigns of accountability.”
Then, Joey Congi (@joeycongi98) said, “I think Keefe is a good player’s coach. It’s good for what the Devils need at the moment. He will coach you into the playoffs, which is what (the Devils) need. He isn’t the best with allowing young skilled and smaller players to reach their full potential. We saw that in Toronto with Nick Robertson. He was in and out of the lineup a lot and it’s really stunted his growth as a hockey player.”
We also asked our other Fansided site, Editor In Leaf. They had some good and some bad things to say about what Keefe did as their coach.
“So Keefe is really well informed and can rattle off a ton of stats off the top of his head. He is incredibly prepared, and yet, at the same time, I thought one of his biggest problems was that he coached on how to stop the other team more than just letting his guys fly. I would rather have a coach that takes more risks. I think Keefe coaches a pretty safe, possession-based game. His teams hardly rush the puck or make long passes. I hated the lineups Keefe made. I think he’s a good tactician but bad at making lineups. I also think he made the mistake of making (Mitch) Marner and (Auston) Matthews play too defensively. I often urged the Leafs to open it up and make better use of their talent. He coaches a safe, boring, low-risk game. It’s not traditional tight defense, but it’s not wide-open, either. Lots of short passes. The stuff about ‘he can’t coach young players’ or ‘he’s too soft on players’ is total BS.”
Well, whatever your feelings are on the hiring of Keefe, the Devils are hoping that this coach will end the futility of all the bad seasons en route to their fourth Stanley Cup. Will it happen? We just have to wait and see what Keefe does in his time here.