5 reasons New Jersey Devils are Stanley Cup contenders again

4. Sheldon Keefe Revenge Tour

The New Jersey Devils knew when they fired Lindy Ruff that they needed to get it right this offseason. Travis Green was given a chance to prove himself, and as much as the Devils said he had a real chance to win the job, Green took the Ottawa Senators' job for a reason. The Devils were waiting for the perfect candidate, and when David Pastrnak scored in overtime of Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Devils saw their opening.

Sheldon Keefe is legitimately a great hockey coach. That’s not to say he’s a great NHL coach yet, but we’ve seen him have success at every other level of this sport. His systems work. While the heavy hand of Toronto media criticized his lineup moves, he tends to have the right finger on the pulse. 

Keefe hopes to prove that his time in Toronto was a great learning experience, but the team made a mistake in letting him go. If Keefe can make it to the third round this season, Maple Leafs’ fans will be throwing chairs out the window in frustration (unless the matchup is against the Leafs, which would be art). 

It’s a lot of pressure on a first-year head coach. Keefe needs to get to know these players, instill his system, evaluate an entire set of new coaches (most of whom remain from last season), and put together a plan to win the Metropolitan Division, a very different division from the Atlantic. Still, this guy can succeed from the jump.