Keefe had two years remaining on his contract with Toronto before he was let go nearly two weeks ago.
Keefe had two years remaining on his contract with Toronto before he was let go nearly two weeks ago.
13 days after being relieved of his head coaching duties by the Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe is entering a new era of his career.
According to several NHL insiders, the 43-year-old has been hired as the 20th head coach in New Jersey Devils history. TSN's Darren Dreger reports that Keefe's contract will be four years in length, including the two-year extension from Toronto that he signed last summer.
Keefe entered the NHL as a head coach with the Maple Leafs in 2019 after the Maple Leafs fired Mike Babcock. Before getting to the NHL, Keefe coached the AHL's Toronto Marlies for nearly five seasons, guiding the team to a Calder Cup in 2018.
The Maple Leafs made it to the playoffs in every season that he was the head coach. Toronto also won their first playoff round since 2004 with a first-round win against the Tampa Bay Lightning last year.
Keefe finished his tenure with a 212-97-40 record in the regular season with Toronto. The Maple Leafs went 16-21 in the playoffs with him as their head coach.
Craig Berube (before being hired by the Maple Leafs), former Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan, and former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft were among the candidates for the Devils' vacant head coaching position.
New Jersey relieved Lindy Ruff (now the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres) on Mar. 4 after being with the organization since July 2020. Travis Green became the interim head coach before leaving to become the Ottawa Senators' bench boss earlier this month.
The Devils have yet to officially unveil Keefe as their next head coach.
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