New Jersey Devils

Why Sheldon Keefe Will Have Success With The Devils

Published

10 months ago

May 30, 2024

Newly hired Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe labeled his new job “…an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.”

He did so for good reason. The Devils were widely regarded as the top job available in this spring’s coaching carousel. Stable ownership and management, a clear direction, and a young nucleus of players on the brink of something were all green lights for perspective coaches, Keefe included.

In Keefe, the Devils are getting a winner. Despite the narrative around his lack of postseason success, Keefe has done nothing but win as a coach. He guided the Pembroke Lumber Kings to multiple Junior A championships, then the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to multiple playoff runs and a combined 0.754 win percentage, before winning a Calder Cup in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies.

Then, with the big job in Toronto, he became one of the fastest coaches to 300 wins, three straight 100+ point seasons, and five straight playoff appearances.

In the Devils, Keefe is walking into a similar, yet better situation. The issues he dealt with in Toronto have been well documented, and the Devils organization has the structure in place so that the same problems don’t arise. There are two reasons in particular why Keefe will have success with the Devils; salary cap allocation and defensemen.

With Toronto, 53% of their cap space was taken up by their “core four”. The organization both on and off the ice revolved around Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander. In New Jersey, the Devils undefined “core four” of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier take up just 36% of the cap.

While typically you only go as far as your star players can take you, having quality depth throughout the lineup is imperative come playoff time. Toronto lacked that during most of Keefe’s tenure. It remains to be seen, but the Devils shouldn’t have that issue.

The Devils have just under $19 million in cap space this summer, with only Dawson Mercer in line for a significant pay raise. General Manager Tom Fitzgerald will have the necessary cap space to add a goaltender and depth pieces to bolster the lineup. For reference, Toronto has 12 pending RFAs and UFAs with the same amount of cap space. Due to Fitzgerald’s ability to sign his star players to team-friendly deals, he and Keefe can put the rest of this roster together without being pressed against the cap.

Part of that roster construction is building out the blue line. Part of Keefe’s downfall in Toronto was a lack of high-end defensemen and proper slotting. In terms of puck movers, it was Morgan Rielly and not much else. Also, in years past they’ve prioritized defensive-defenseman such as Luke Schenn, Joel Edmundson, and Ilya Lyubushkin. They were a team that continually added bottom-pairing and number-four-type defensemen rather than puck movers.

Fortunately for Keefe, while younger, the Devils defense core has multiple puck movers and defensive-minded defensemen. A healthy Dougie Hamilton will arguably be the best defenseman Keefe will have ever had as an NHL coach. Add to that Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, and the eventual arrival of Seamus Casey, and Keefe will have no shortage of players who can transport the puck up the ice via outlet pass or end-to-end rush.

Add in the two-way play of John Marino, the potential bounce back of a healthy Jonas Siegenthaler, and an improving Kevin Bahl, Keefe and the Devils won’t need to over-prioritize and overspend for defenseman during free agency or via trade. Instead, they can focus on cheaper, veteran depth that is critical down the stretch of seasons and in the playoffs.

Take one look at the age, production, and contracts of the Devils core players and it’s easy to see why this was a job Keefe couldn’t pass up. He helped turn a promising young team into a perennial playoff team in Toronto. While the expectations are a Stanley Cup, the next step for this Devils group is to become that similar type of perennial playoff team.

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