(Newark) Passing in front of the Prudential Center before the press conference to introduce him as the new head coach of the New Jersey Devils, Sheldon Keefe could not help but notice the statue in honor of the member of the Martin Brodeur Hall of Fame.
He immediately understood that the expectations at the head of the Devils in the New York region were going to be the same as at the head of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Winning the Stanley Cup is all that matters and that’s Keefe’s goal next season, when he once again leads a young, talented team that came up short this season.
The Devils won the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000 and 2003, with Brodeur in net each time. They have only reached the final once since, in 2012, only making the playoffs in 2018 and 2023 after that.
“I know what the expectations are here and what the potential is,” said Keefe, who has repeatedly said he sees the new job as a fresh start. To position ourselves for the playoffs and win a Stanley Cup, that’s why I came here. »
Keefe led the Leafs to the playoffs in his five seasons at the helm, but only made it past the first round once. The last campaign ended with a seven-game first-round elimination by the Boston Bruins.
Less than a week later, Keefe was fired.
The good news for him is that Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald was patiently waiting to replace his coach. He wanted to speak to Keefe if he became available.
It didn’t take long for the two men to have a telephone conversation lasting more than three hours. Fitzgerald was convinced he had a coach who would demand responsibility from his players, who would be a good communicator and a good teacher.
Keefe, who said the job was too good to pass up, will replace interim coach Travis Green, who replaced Lindy Ruff, who was fired in March.
The 43-year-old Ontario native compiled a record of 212-97-40 with the Leafs.
Fitzgerald said he interviewed 10 candidates for the job, but Green wasn’t an option after he accepted the job with the Ottawa Senators.
“I don’t pretend to have all the answers, all the information,” Keefe said. But I’m very excited to get to work. What I do know is that this team is talented, hungry and committed. »
Keefe spoke to some of the players who will be returning and all admitted to him that they were disappointed by their exclusion from the playoffs. Everyone also said they were eager to return to work.
The Devils count in particular on brothers Jack and Luke Hugues, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer and Timo Meier. the defense struggled after losing Dougie Hamilton to injury early in the season, and goaltending was a question mark for a while.
Keefe, however, hopes that the team will return to its form of 2022-23, when it amassed 112 points, a franchise mark.