Keefe hired as Devils coach, replaces Green

Sheldon Keefe was hired as coach of the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

The 43-year-old, who replaces Travis Green, was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 9 after posting records of 212-97-40 and 16-21 in the Stanley Cup playoffs over five seasons.

“It’s an exciting time and I’m honored to be a member of the Devils organization,” Keefe said. “Having the chance to lead this young and dynamic team and seeing the potential that can still be unleashed is very appealing to me.”

Keefe, who replaced Mike Babcock on November 20, 2019, has guided Toronto to the playoffs in each of his five seasons. The Maple Leafs went 46-26-10 in the regular season to finish third in the Atlantic Division this season with 102 points, but lost the Eastern Conference first round in seven games to the Bruins of Boston.

Toronto has advanced past the first round of the playoffs once (2023) since 2004.

Before joining the Maple Leafs, Keefe coached their American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, for five seasons and guided them to their first Calder Cup championship in 2018.

The Devils (38-39-5) were 8-12-1 under Green after replacing Lindy Ruff on March 4, finishing seventh in the Metropolitan Division after finishing last season with the most wins (52) and of points (112) in New Jersey. /History of the Colorado Rockies. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 10th time in 12 seasons.

“This was an invigorating process for me, after meeting many qualified candidates and hearing how attractive this position was to them,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. “Sheldon moved to the top of my list when he became available, and I was thrilled when he agreed to be part of what we’re building here. He’s a great communicator, believes in collaboration and he will use what he learned previously to make this team a Stanley Cup contender.

“The organization is incredibly excited to welcome Sheldon, his wife, Jackie, and two boys, Landon and Wyatt, to New Jersey.”

Five players have scored at least 20 goals: Timo Meier (28 goals), Jack Hughes (27), Jesper Bratt (27), Nico Hischier (27) and Dawson Mercer (20). The Devils also saw improvement in rookie defensemen Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec.

“I am thrilled to welcome Sheldon and his family to New Jersey,” said Devils Managing Partner David Blitzer. “Finding the right coach to lead this team was our top priority, and Sheldon impressed us at every step of the interview process. He shares our goal of unlocking the full potential of this team and delivering a fourth Stanley Cup to our fans and Tom will be great partners because they believe in the hard work and resilience it takes to build a consistent contender. I am excited about the future of New Jersey Devils hockey.

Defenseman Brendan Smith, forwards Tomas Nosek and Chris Tierney, and goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen can each become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Fitzgerald said in his end-of-season press conference that he intended to tender each of their four pending free agents. : Mercer, forward Nolan Foote and goalkeepers Nico Daws and Akira Schmid.

Jake Allen is the only one of the five goalies playing for the Devils this season who is under contract for 2024-25. New Jersey finished 26th in the league in goals allowed per game (3.43).

“After meeting David, (co-director) Josh Harris, Tom and others in the organization and talking with my family, it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Keefe said. “I know this organization has a great history of winning and I can’t wait to start working to get it back to that level.”