Keefe on top of wish list to land Eastern conference job
Embattled former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe has been out of a job for less than two weeks; however, it appears that he's already drawing interest from one National Hockey League Eastern Conference opponent.
Keefe, who holds an all-time record of 212-97-40 all with the Maple Leafs, is on top of the New Jersey Devils wish list to replace interim head coach Travis Green, who signed a four-year deal to become the new head coach of Atlantic Division rival Ottawa Senators. Although reports indicate that Keefe would be the choice to become the new head coach, it is believed that former St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube, former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft, and former Los Angeles Kings coach Todd McLellan could also be in the running for the position.
Although Keefe led the Maple Leafs to their best finish in franchise history points-wise, it has yet to be seen whether or not he has the ability to lead a team when it matters, as the Leafs only won one playoff series during his tenure, but will that matter to Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald? Keefe has worked to develop younger players his entire career, whether it was during his time in major junior, junior, or the NHL, and he has the ability to take them to the next level, but they need to buy in and really want it, which may have been a major reason why he was let go from Toronto in the first place.
Will he be able to take the likes of Jack & Luke Hughes, Nico Hischier, & Simon Nemec to the next level? It's possible, but if he wasn't able to do it during his previous opportunity, what makes anyone think he'll be able to do it this time? Only time will tell.
| POLL | ||
Can Sheldon Keefe help the New Jersey Devils? | ||
| Yes | 209 | 57.6 % |
| No | 154 | 42.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
