5 New Jersey Devils that benefit from Sheldon Keefe hiring
The New Jersey Devils could be one of the top teams in the NHL again if they are smart.
The New Jersey Devils did a great thing when they hired Sheldon Keefe to be their new head coach. He lands this job just a couple of weeks after being eliminated by the Boston Bruins in game seven as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Keefe was fired a few days after that loss.
Keefe had a lot of success with a roster that was flawed in a lot of ways. New Jersey has holes but with the right coach and better goaltending, their future appears to be brighter than Toronto's.
There are a few players in particular on the New Jersey Devils roster that needed a new coach. Travis Greene and Lindy Ruff had a lot of the same ways which hurt a few of the players on the team.
These are the five guys that will benefit the most with Sheldon Keefe as their head coach going forward:
Jack Hughes will be better off having a new head coach in the NHL
The New Jersey Devils have a superstar in Jack Hughes. He continues to take steps with his offensive production every year but everyone knows that he has another level to get to.
Jack Hughes should be even better with Sheldon Keefe as his head coach. Keefe will do things that help him get to another level in the NHL.
For one, Keefe will use Hughes in his proper position: center. This could have something to do with his health but he has no business being on the wing. He is much more impactful at the center of the ice.
Keefe was excellent at getting guys like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner to take their game to the next level. Hughes is on a similar level as those guys and Keefe can be the guy to take him further.
Timo Meier should be outstanding with Sheldon Keefe as his head coach
Timo Meier struggled in the first half of the 2023-24 season. Injuries had a little bit to do with it, but he did not do well under Lindy Ruff. Once he was fired, Meier was back to being a star goal scorer.
The best thing Travis Greene did for him was switch him back to his natural position. Keefe will be smart enough to put him in the right position and have everything around him firing on all cylinders so he can be a game-breaker.
A high-effort skilled power forward is just what Keefe needs in his top six with centers like Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. This should be a great fit.
The Devils need Timo Meier to be a big-time goal scorer. They also need him to use his size and speed to make an impact. With Keefe at the Helm, he should be able to stay consistent.
Alexander Holtz would love to see a boost in his ice time with a new coach
Alexander Holtz had a hard time staying consistent in 2023-24. He was one of the leaders in 5 on 5 goals but he was never given extra ice time and he was hardly used in the power play.
He had a better chance of being benched in a game that he scored in than getting extra ice. It was very weird to see through the entire season.
Was his two-way game perfect? No. Was he drafted seventh overall to play defense? Also, no. He was drafted so high so he could fill the net as the team recently drafted all-world centers.
Holtz didn’t get much of a boost when Travis Greene took over for Lindy Ruff, but things didn’t change for him in terms of his usage. With Keefe, it is expected that he will get a chance to grow in the areas in which he excels while learning more about his weaknesses.
Ondrej Palat could use a head coach like Sheldon Keefe as he will be used properly
Ondrej Palat’s start to his New Jersey Devils tenure has been a struggle, to say the least. When he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he was perfect in his role, and they won the Stanley Cup twice.
We saw in 2023 that Palat is still able to elevate his game when the playoffs come around. The Devils need to get there first though, and that is where Keefe comes in.
Once the playoffs do come around, assuming that the Devils make it, Keefe has never had a playoff guy like Ondrej Palat before. If he had one with the Maple Leafs, they would have won more than one round in five tries.
Palat will get a boost from Keefe in the regular season. Managing the top six better will certainly help the bottom six too. Palat should have the best stats of any year with New Jersey in 2024-25.
Luke Hughes will see another level to his game under Sheldon Keefe
Luke Hughes didn't have it badly under Lindy Ruff. He might have had it a little too good. He got a lot of ice time and top power play time.
Of course, this had a little bit to do with the fact that Dougie Hamilton got hurt. Hughes mostly took advantage of his ice because he was a prolific scoring defenseman for being a rookie.
He was nominated for the Calder Trophy which is a great honor but being a big-time point producer is a big reason for that.
He did have a little bit of a dry spell in 2023-24 in the middle of the season but that happens to a lot of young players, especially defensemen. He rebounded nicely and had a great end to the season.
Under Keefe, he should be even better. Keefe's system will likely activate the defense in the offensive zone more which will be a good thing for Luke Hughes.
He will also be harder on these young guys to get the best out of them in the defensive zone. Hughes can use some help in that area.
He will also benefit if all of these forwards are going to be better around him under Keefe. It is going to be exciting to see both Hughes brothers get going in 2024-25.
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