It has been reported by Rear Admiral of the Spittin' Chiclets podcast that Sheldon Keefe will be the next head coach of the New Jersey Devils.
NEWARK, N.J. -- It appears the New Jersey Devils' search for a head coach has concluded. It has been reported by Rear Admiral of the Spittin' Chiclets podcast that Sheldon Keefe will be the next head coach of the Devils.
TSN's Darren Dreger reported that, "It sounds like four years total, including the two years owned by the Toronto Maple Leafs."
The Devils relieved Lindy Ruff of his head coaching duties on March 4th. He was replaced on an interim basis by Travis Green to finish the 2023-24 campaign. Since the conclusion of the regular season, Fitzgerald has conducted a search for his next boss.
“I owe it to the organization that I scour the coaching world for who I believe would be the perfect coach for this group moving forward for what’s available out there,” Fitzgerald said during his end-of-season media availability.
After weeks of interviewing mutliple candidates, it appears Keefe is the the last man standing.
He served as the Maple Leafs head coach for the the past five seasons. Keefe was fired on May 9, and on May 17, Craig Berube was announced as his replacement. In a video posted to his social media account, Keefe took responsibility for Toronto's Round 1 elimination and thanked fans in Toronto.
"I didn't get it done in the playoffs, I didn't help push our team over the line and deliver. I accept responsibility for that. No excuses. That's the job, I didn't get it done," he said. "It's the reality of the business, and I accept it. To the players, I appreciate all your efforts. Your talents, your work ethic made me look good on a lot of nights. Anyone who stood up for blue and white, I appreciate you. To the support staff of the Maple Leafs, you're tremendous people, you're elite at what you do."
The 43-year-old coach earned a record of 212-97-40 and 16-21 in the playoffs in five seasons with the Maple Leafs. It marked his first coaching job in the NHL, replacing Mike Babcock in Nov. 2019.
The Devils have not made any official announcement at the time of publication.