The public perception is that he will be the first to go if the Devils struggle, whether that’s a fair assessment or not.
When people look around the NHL, the first coach who comes to mind when asked who is on the hot seat is Sheldon Keefe. The New Jersey Devils head coach enters his third season behind the bench in what’s become a make-or-break year.
The Devils, specifically the new front office led by first-time general manager Sunny Mehta, gave him the help to turn them around. So, if the team struggles, Keefe must take the blame. He’ll be the scapegoat.
In the NHL, when coaches' lifespans are short, that makes sense. Is that fair? Should Keefe be on the hot seat? Sure, there’s a reason to fire him if the Devils play poorly, especially if they make the playoffs, but how hot is that seat?
Early-Season Struggles Will Be Keefe’s Fault, But Might Be Expected
The Devils have a new-look roster, and for the most part, that’s a good thing. Five new forwards are expected to be on the opening-night roster, including new right wingers for the Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier line. It takes time for an overhauled roster to gel.
So, a slow start shouldn’t surprise anyone. It takes time to find the right line combinations and a third and fourth line that click. Yet, the struggles will still be Keefe’s fault. He’ll spend time tinkering with the lineup, but results are expected and, more importantly, demanded of him this season.
It’s why there’s more pressure on Keefe this season. He not only must figure everything out, but he must also do so quickly. If the Devils are at the bottom of the division after one month, there will be plenty of pressure for Mehta to make a change. Certainly, that will be the case by Thanksgiving if the Devils are out of the playoff picture.
Keefe Is Prepared For This Pressure
Keefe’s early years as a coach were defined by innovation and by his status as a young, up-and-coming coach. From his days in Canadian junior hockey to his time in the American Hockey League, where he won a Calder Cup title in 2018 with the Toronto Marlies, he was seen as the next-generation coach, a young one who could adjust to win with X’s and O’s, systems, and style.
When the defense struggled, he changed the positioning of the defenseman to limit high-danger chances. When the offense needed help, he leaned into an aggressive system with a defenseman joining the play. The Devils saw glimpse of this in his first season behind the bench before the injuries and roster issues got to them.
None of that defined his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, although it should have. With Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and an elite young core with a contention window, he was seen as a coach who could handle the pressure.
Keefe was still a creative coach, someone who would make adjustments when needed. However, everything he did was criticized, and he had to stand behind his decisions, even the bad ones. In hindsight, it worked out well for Keefe, as he coached the Maple Leafs for five seasons and won a playoff series with them. He just couldn’t take them to the next step, and that’s something many hockey fans are curious about (how good of a coach he is).
His time with the Devils will ultimately be defined by his ability to put it all together. By taking that creativity that made him a great coach in the first place and handling the heat if the team struggles.
Keefe isn't just expected to win with a new team; he’s expected to take them to another level. The Devils are hopeful they can return to the playoffs. Eventually, Keefe must prove he can win in the playoffs as well, something he’s done in the past but not at the NHL level. The Devils will determine what type of coach he is. Is he a coach who can get the most out of teams, or is he a good baseline leader, someone who can make a team competitive but not much more?
Eventually Mehta Will Want To Make His Hire But Is Keefe That Type Of Hire?
Every GM wants to bring in a head coach who shares their values and vision. Some wait a few years and keep that bullet in the chamber. Others are quick to pull the plug to put their team on their timeline.
Daniel Briere eventually fired John Tortorella and hired Rick Tocchet to lead the Philadelphia Flyers. Mathieu Darche became the New York Islanders GM in the 2025 offseason and hired Pete DeBoer with just games left in the 2025-26 season. The Maple Leafs hired John Chayka this summer and brought in Jim Hiller as their new bench boss.
It’s what makes this season fascinating for both Keefe and Mehta. Does Mehta want to bring in his head coach, and if so, how long will he wait? Some wondered whether he’d make the change this offseason, but he wants to wait things out, at least for now.
The other interesting layer to a coaching change is the type of coach Mehta would bring in. As a forward-thinking and data-driven executive who gathers information from different perspectives, he’s not hiring an old-school my-way-or-the-highway coach. The irony is that he’d hire Keefe, who shares a lot of the same strengths.
Mehta will hire the next creative coach. So, maybe he finds a younger version of Keefe: a startup coach who is quickly rising in the ranks, someone like Jussi Ahokas, Steve Ott, or Spiros Anastas.
This season is a big one for the Devils. Not just the roster, but also the head coach, GM, and the future of this franchise. Will Keefe remain the head coach in the long term? Everyone will find out one way or another by the end of this season.
