The New Jersey Devils host the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday night, and it’s as much a battle behind the bench between Andre Tourigny and Sheldon Keefe as it is on the ice between the two teams. Yes, both teams have talent, especially at the forward position. However, this game features fascinating head coaches who are from different backgrounds and have different skills yet have raised expectations this season.

The Mammoth made the playoffs last season, after years of rebuilding. The expectation is for this team to become a Cup contender now. The Devils, meanwhile, missed the playoffs last season and made significant changes, including in the front office with Sunny Mehta coming in. The expectation is for Keefe to make this team competitive again. 

Tourigny’s start to his coaching career was all about team building. He had to help facilitate the Arizona Coyotes turned Mammoth rebuild, which was a task in itself. Aside from handling all the outside noise and craziness that came with a relocation, he had to be the right coach for a rebuilding team. 

That meant connecting with his players, specifically, the young ones who would be the core of the roster when they became contenders. Most teams have one coach that helps the team rebuild, then another who leads them when they contend. Tourigny has shifted his coaching style to remain behind the Mammoth bench. 

With the team starting to contend, he’s showing more of what he can do as a coach. Tourigny allows the Mammoth to play with a creative flair on the offensive end, yet with structure and discipline on the defensive end. It’s allowed them to not only be a contender but take a step further. The season is only three games old, but they look poised to finish in the top three, if not better in the Central Division. 

This shift made Tourigny’s hot seat cool. If there was any pressure on him and the front office was considering making a change, he’s eliminated any discussion of it. On the contrary, the hockey world is seeing how he’s become a great head coach. 

While Tourigny’s theme of his coaching career has been team building, Keefe’s has been handling pressure. How will he handle the heat, and will his innovative side change when the pressure mounts? 

With the Toronto Maple Leafs, he stuck to his identity and what made him a coach in the first place. It led to a successful tenure for the most part, making the playoffs in each of his five seasons as their coach and winning a playoff series.  

The question is whether he’ll get the job done with the Devils, who enter this season with an improved roster, one that should at minimum make the playoffs. Moreover, there’s more pressure on Keefe to help this team overachieve and not just make the playoffs but go on a run. It became a criticism of him in Toronto and could be his downfall with the Devils as well. 

The recent track record suggests that Tourigny is the better coach and is only getting better. He’s proven that he’s more than just a rebuilding coach. However, Keefe still has a high ceiling as a coach. 

Keefe can get the most out of the Devils, and around the league, he’s still seen as one of the more knowledgeable coaches. He can make the right adjustments to win games, and once he understands the strengths of this roster, he’ll lean into them. 

The Devils are his best chance to prove that he’s a great coach. It’s also likely his last chance, the one where he must prove he can win at a high level in the NHL. This season, the roster is good enough for a great coach to take it to another level. The question is whether Keefe is that coach. 

Both Keefe and Tourigny are in the same spot in their coaching careers. They’ve been in the league long enough for the hockey world to understand their style. Now, the pressure has been taken up a notch for both of them. It’s what makes the chess match between these two coaches fascinating.