5 assistants that Sheldon Keefe should target with New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils finally have their coach of the future and the present. Sheldon Keefe, the 43-year-old former head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, reportedly signed a four-year deal with the Devils. It’s very clear we think the Devils made the right move. Now, the real work starts. 

The Devils have a lot to do this offseason. They have to sign or trade for a goalie. There’s additions they need to make to the defense. They have to figure out what to do with the 10th overall pick in the NHL Draft. There’s a lot to do, but one of the underrated tasks is hiring assistant coaches. 

Right now, the Devils still have Ryan McGill, Chris Taylor, Sergei Brylin, and Dave Rogalski. However, it’s very possible that Keefe wants to bring some of his “own guys” to the Devils. Here are five coaches who would be fantastic for the new regime.

1. Ryan Warsofsky

When we started discussing head coaching options, we mentioned Ryan Warsofsky right away. He’s one of the most intriguing options for those without head coaching experience. Yes, he was a coach for the worst team in the NHL (the San Jose Sharks), but he is a great coach trying to make something out of an awful roster. 

Warsofsky was an amazing hire at the time. He’s a former Calder Cup champion with the Carolina Hurricanes affiliate. This is something Sheldon Keefe is very familiar with as a former Calder Cup-winning coach himself. 

There’s also the report from NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky that said the Devils already interviewed Warsofsky. Since he already has a rapport with Tom Fitzgerald, it would be a very easy sell for everyone involved. Keefe wouldn’t have to worry about hiring his replacement since he just got hired. Warsofsky also sees that the Devils have had three head coaching placements in the past two years. So, this could be a much easier jump to a head coaching job if he doesn’t get the SHarks job.

2. Mike Van Ryn

Many new head coaches will bring whoever they can from their old staff to their new location. We wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happens here. Mike Van Ryn would likely be at the top of Keefe’s list. 

Keefe just hired Van Ryn last season. After he was fired from the St. Louis Blues staff, Van Ryn immediately went to work under Keefe. He ran the defense in Toronto, so that would likely mean the Devils aren’t retaining Ryan McGill. We’ve had our issues with McGill and believe his change to a system that failed this team led, in part, to the disappointing season. Therefore, we would not be surprised if the Devils went in this direction.

However, ironically, Van Ryn was also on Craig Berube’s staff, and Berube is now the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Some believe he will stay, but there are others that believe the entire Toronto staff is doing a mass exodus. 

Then, there’s the absolutely hilarious situation of Mike Van Ryn’s history with the Devils. Did you know the Devils actually drafted him? You wouldn’t because he didn’t play a single game with the Devils. Yet, they used a first-round pick in 1998 to take Van Ryn. Then, he sued and took the Devils and the NHL to court so he didn’t have to sign with them. He left the NCAA and went to the Sarnia Sting of the OHL just so he could get out of his Devils contract and sign with the Blues. Maybe there’s too much baggage here. 

3. Mark Giordano

Sticking to defense, there are always former players who follow their favorite coaches when they want to make a jump into head coaching. We might not know of another player who would be as great a head coach as Mark Giordano.

The former star defenseman did not have it easy, and those are usually the players who make great coaches. He wasn’t a superstar prospect. He didn’t even get drafted despite having a decent juniors career. Then, he was going to go back to college to figure out what he was going to do with the rest of his life. The Calgary Flames gave him a lifeline, inviting him to training camp, and he stood out.

Fast forward 20 years, and Giordano is 40 years old and likely going to call it a career this offseason. He hasn’t been as effective in years past, and he’s made more than $64 million in his career. If he’s satisfied, jumping into coaching makes a ton of sense.

If that’s the case, what better landing spot than a very talented New Jersey Devils defense that now has Giordano’s former coach building a new staff? It feels like a perfect landing spot. He is young enough to relate to players like Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, but he’s also someone who has been the captain of the Flames for eight seasons (and the first captain after Jarome Iginla). He was also the first and only captain in the history of the Seattle Kraken. This is a leader of men and would be a great compliment for the Devils. 

4. Greg Moore

This is another guy with previous Sheldon Keefe ties that would be really easy to acquire. Greg Moore took over for Sheldon Keefe as the head coach of the Toronto Marlies when Keefe took over for Mike Babcock as the head coach of the Maple Leafs. Moore is currently a head coach with the US National Development Team Program. 

Moore is a coach who was fired by the Marlies for not taking them far enough in the playoffs. He wasn’t failing in the ways the Devils failed last season. He didn’t win in the very random AHL playoffs. 

Prior to his stint in the AHL, Moore was a good coach for two years in the USHL, even making it to the Clark Cup Final. Before he was there, he was a coach with the USNDTP from 2015 to 2018 which checks notes would make him someone who coached a young Jack Hughes. This connection would obviously go very well in the locker room.

Unlike many of the other coaches on this list, Moore wouldn’t be looking to take this job and lead it to an NHL head coaching job. Of course, he would love to be there one day, but he has a long road until he gets there. Honestly, maybe he comes to the NHL bench to eventually take over the Utica Comets or the next AHL opening he could find. Either way, the Devils would be a great option to extend his coaching future.