Sheldon Keefe having very rough start with the New Jersey Devils

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Daniel Lucente
September 28, 2024 (11:52)

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It hasn't been an easy start for Sheldon Keefe as the new coach of the New Jersey Devils, as the team has been struggling to find their groove.

No more than a week or so after being let go by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe had landed on his feet with the New Jersey Devils. The Devils wasted little time to target Keefe once he was free from Toronto, where he had not been able to get through the struggle of a first-round playoff exit. The hockey community didn't blame Keefe for the Leafs' woes despite the early playoff exit.

The widespread support for Keefe earlier in the summer, with many thinking he was an early Jack Adams Award contender given to the NHL's top coach, there were many who felt the problem was more with the roster of the Maple Leafs than with Keefe's coaching abilities. He will get every opportunity to prove his mettle and show how his coaching can thrive in another environment with the Devils.

But his beginning with the Devils hasn't been too smooth. During the early stage of the preseason, the team has had a really tough time and hasn't managed to win any of their first three games. Besides the defeats, their overall game looks pretty bad, which is a question for the readiness of the team for the regular season.

The Devils presently sit at 0-4-0, getting significantly outplayed in each of those games. They have been outscored 17-6, looking discombobulated and unconnected on the ice. This feels like a team trying to learn a new system from Keefe, who hasn't taken the necessary adjustments yet to get this squad back on track.

With the Devils coming off a season in which they missed the playoffs, there's a high level of urgency on Keefe to maximize this roster. If he can't get this team trending in the right direction relatively soon, both his Jack Adams Award prospects and the Devils playoff chances could be in deep trouble.