Sheldon Keefe gets first job interview since being let go by Leafs

Sheldon Keefe, now the former head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has reportedly been granted hs first job interview since the team let him go earlier this week

The ink on Sheldon Keefe's pick slip from the Toronto Maple Leafs is barely dry, but there's a report he already has his first job interview lined up. A TSN insider is reporting that a team reached out to the Maple Leafs to ask for permission to speak with Keefe.

According to Pierre LeBrun, the team in question is the New Jersey Devils, who fired Lindy Ruff mid-season in 2023-24 and replaced him with Travis Green. Green is now the newly hire head coach of the Ottawa Senators.





Keefe had already signed a two-year extension with Toronto that hadn't even kicked in when he was fired. This is the reason the Devils have to ask permission to speak with him. Keefe still gets his money from the Maple Leafs unless or until he takes a head coaching position with another NHL team.



There are teams other than Toronto and New Jersey without a head coach at the moment, so it wouldn't be surprising if the Maple Leafs gets more calls asking for permission to speak with him.



Keefe acted as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs for parts of five seasons from 2019 to 2024. Despite good regular season finishes, the Maple Leafs were either eliminated in the first, second, or qualifying round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for each of those years. Before his stint with Toronto, Keefe was the head coach of the AHL's Toronto Marlies, and before that he was with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League for three seasons.