The New Jersey Devils have had Lindy Ruff for most of the last few seasons. He wasn't very good at speaking wisely following hockey games. It grew old.
Now, they have Sheldon Keefe coming in who seems to always know what to say. He had his introductory press conference on Tuesday morning and it went very well.
He talked about all the things you want to hear. He loves the analytics team that New Jersey has, he is being given a very warm welcome, and he sees this as a perfect fit.
"I just have to say, from my short time we've been here already, welcome is the key word that really stands out. It has been tremendous." - Sheldon Keefe, #NJDevils HC
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) May 28, 2024
“It just felt right with New Jersey.”#NJDevils head coach Sheldon Keefe
— James Nichols (@JamesNicholsNHL) May 28, 2024
"It was very clear to me, not only do they have belief in me, but in this team and the program that they have built." - Sheldon Keefe, #NJDevils HC
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) May 28, 2024
"The vision is to win the Stanley Cup. That's very clear. However, it's also very clear to me, in order to do so you have to maximize every day." - Sheldon Keefe, #NJDevils HC
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) May 28, 2024
Keefe shouts out the @NJDevils analytics team as something that drew him to Jersey.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 28, 2024
It truly feels like Sheldon Keefe believes in this team and has good reasoning for choosing this as his next NHL endeavor. There is a lot of talent on this roster with even more coming through the pipeline and Keefe wants to be the guy to unlock it at the NHL level.
This team has a young core built with high first-round picks. The Maple Leafs had that too early in Keefe's tenure there. He now wants to take what he learned there and bring it to New Jersey to unlock the true potential of this young core.
Again, it is one thing to say this stuff and it is another to go out there and do it. However, it is already more exciting to be hearing from Keefe than it ever was with Lindy Ruff and this was his first time speaking in Devils colors.
Sheldon Keefe being introduced as New Jersey Devils head coach was powerful
GM Tom Fitzgerald also spoke at this presser. He went into detail about what he believes will happen with Sheldon Keffe, the hiring process, and more.
"When the Toronto Maple Leafs lost, I immediately called (GM Brad) Treliving and asked to speak to Sheldon." - Tom Fitzgerald, #NJDevils
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) May 28, 2024
Fitz said he spoke with 8-10 coaches for the job including “a few that I knew weren’t ready for the job” but will be solid NHL coaches one day
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 28, 2024
"This is a great day for the New Jersey Devils." - Tom Fitzgerald, #NJDevils
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) May 28, 2024
There is a lot to unpack from this. For one, Tom Fitzgerald is very confident in this hiring. It sounds like he did his due diligence but Keefe was his guy from the second Toronto was eliminated.
He interviewed a lot of candidates and had some nice things to say about them all. He landed on Keefe and now it is time to work.
Keefe is going to work well with Fitzgerald as they try to build this roster back into a Stanley Cup contender. That is the goal with each coach they've ever had.
The new guy already has weapons that he never had in Toronto, particularly on the back end. They don't have Auston Matthews but they have elite forwards up and down the lineup that can make a major impact on a team in a positive way.
Tom Fitzgerald is right about one thing for sure. This is an exciting day for the New Jersey Devils. Keefe looks like the guy who is going to get this team over the edge using his strategy and overall smarts in the game of hockey. Hopefully, the players are ready to give it their all.