Sheldon Keefe was hired as coach of the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
The 43-year-old, who replaces Travis Green, had been fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 9 after going 212-97-40 in five seasons, and 16-21 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“This is an exciting time, and I’m honored to be a member of the Devils organization,” Keefe said. “To have the chance to lead this young, dynamic team and to see the potential that can still be unlocked is all very attractive for me.”
Keefe, who replaced Mike Babcock on Nov. 20, 2019, guided Toronto to the playoffs in each of his five seasons. The Maple Leafs went 46-26-10 this season to finish third in the Atlantic Division but lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the Eastern Conference First Round.
Toronto has advanced beyond the opening round of the playoffs once (2023) since 2004.
Prior to joining the Maple Leafs, Keefe coached their American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, for five seasons, and guided them to their first Calder Cup championship in 2018.
The Devils (38-39-5) were 8-12-1 under Green after he replaced Lindy Ruff on March 4, and finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division after ending last season with the most wins (52) and points (112) in New Jersey/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts history. They failed to make the playoffs for the 10th time in 12 seasons.
“This was an invigorating process for me, having met with many qualified candidates and hearing how attractive this position was to them,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. “Sheldon jumped to the top of my list when he became available, and I was thrilled when he agreed to be a part of what we are building here. He is an excellent communicator, believes in collaboration, and will take what he has learned previously to make this team a Stanley Cup contender.
“The organization is incredibly excited to welcome Sheldon, his wife, Jackie, and his two boys, Landon and Wyatt, to New Jersey.”
