Sheldon Keefe is Better Than What You Think; Addressing Your Concerns About The Decision
the Devils have made it official and some of you have shared your thoughts on social media what are some of the concerns for shell and Keith but what are some of the positives we have a lot to break down in today’s episode locked on Devils buckle up everybody you’re locked on Devils your daily podcast on the New Jersey Devils part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hi this is Bryce Salvador and you’re locked on Devils to trade Matthews scores oh Steven stepped up nailed RoR got the P what a shot the Devils winley all righty now what is up New Jersey welcome back to the lockon Devils podcast here on locked on network I’m your host College hockey ple play announcer del d Puck pitch forks and also part-time credential Mia member Trey Matthews the New Jersey Devils have made it official Sheldon Keefe will become the 22nd head coach in team history and the 31st coach in franchise history in today’s episode I going to share some quotes courtesy of Sheldon Keefe Tom Fitzgerald and David Blitzer a little later I will give you more information courtesy of the devil’s PR team and give you guys My overall thoughts as to what Sheldon Keef can do specifically in order to see better success here in New Jersey compared to Toronto then in the third and final segment I want to integrate you guys into my show a little bit more I put out on social media how are you feeling about the Sheldon Keef hiring and some of you responded and it was mostly positive but some of you were a little concerned based on his track history in Toronto because as we all know the maple Lees are a little bit of a meme amongst the NHL in which they always make the playoffs but they can never surpass the first round and I guess people are feeling a little uneasy that that bad luck might leak over to the devils and let me just make something perfectly clear I do not believe in luck jinxes or curses I just believe in timely or untimely coincidences but making it to the playoffs I don’t think that’s a bad thing for the Devils if you ask me how far they go that’s a debate for another time but let’s dissect some of these quotes courtesy of the devil’s PR team Devil’s managing partner David was quoted to say I’m thrilled to welcome Sheldon and his family to New Jersey finding the right coach to lead this team was our top priority and Sheldon impressed US during every step of the interview process he shares in our goal to unlock the full potential of this roster and deliver a fourth Stanley Cup to our fans Sheldon and Tom will be tremendous partners because they believe in the hard work and resiliency it takes to build a consistent Contender I’m excited for the future of New Jersey Devils hockey yeah it was a bit of a run-of-the-mill type of answer from David Blitzer clearly Tom fitzerald is doing more of the Dirty Work in terms of signing players trying to construct this roster trying to see which direction he wants to take this team in but the one thing I can agree with David on his quote is he is excited for the future and honestly I’m excited for the future as well because we’ll talk about it a little later in this episode people have been comparing the m beliefs and the Devils two teams that have a lot of offense high octane offense if that but yet they can never get over that hump but there’s some other ways in which the Devils can prevent themselves from becoming Maple leafes 2.0 but let’s focus on this quote from Tom fitzerald this was an invigorating process for me having met with many qualified candidates and hearing how attractive this position was to them Sheldon jumped to the top of my list when he became available and I was thrilled when he agreed to be a part of what we were building here he is an excellent Communicator believes in collaboration will take what he learned previously to make this team a Stanley Cup Contender the organization is incredibly excited to welcome Sheldon and his family to New Jersey all right I want to highlight what Fitzgerald said this position for the Devils I do believe what he said which is it was a very attractive position for a lot of potential candidates the devils are not an original 16 they’re not the most popular team out east and Newark New Jersey not the most glamorous place to to come if we’re being completely honest it’s not like Los Angeles or a a city in Florida or a town in Canada that’s that’s not how that works it’s it’s a very small City compared to a lot of other big markets but the one thing you cannot argue is that this Devil’s team has a lot of potential and a lot of bright spots I was hammering this point home during the course of the Season which is this team is far too talented to miss the playoffs and they have something forming special but the one thing I need Tom feral to know is that the job is not finished and I touched on this in the previous episode getting a new coach that’s a good first step and I think they made the right hiring with sheld and Keith but he can only take the team so far at the end of the day you need to look at some of those holes you need to look at some of those errors that you made from the previous off season which was getting Tyler tley I think tley was a very good player for what it’s worth but he wasn’t a need he was a want and as a result the Devils had to play sellers at the trade deadline and I don’t want that to happen for the next few seasons because they have a lot of great players on this roster that I think a lot of teams would kill the half Jack Hughes can become a superstar Jer brat and niik heser they’re good in their own respective way brat is a sniper Nico great two-way player teimo meire big Power Forward douge Hamilton I think he’s one of the best offensive mined defenseman in the entire NHL and speaking of which Luke Hughes and Simo Nemitz based on how their trajectory is going I don’t think they’re too far behind either by taking the league by storm it’s going to take some time don’t get me wrong but I think they’re heading in the right direction it’s going to come down can you get that grizzled veteran who is a little Scrappy and can you also get a solid goal tender in front of Jake Allen and I’ll talk more about how the Devils can be utilized by sheld and Keith moving forward but speaking of Keith let’s hear what he had to say this is an exciting time and I’m honored to be a member of the devil’s organization to have a chance to lead this young Dynamic team and see the potential that can still be unlocked it’s all very attractive to me after meeting with David Josh Tom and other members of the organization and in talking with my family this was an opportunity that I could not turn down I know this organization has a great history of winning and I look forward to getting started to work on leading them back to that level yes I love that from Sheldon Keith because I heard some reports that he was contemplating as to whether or not he wanted to jump back into the NHL I would have been completely fine if he decided to say like look I appreciate the offer but I want to take some time with my family clear my head space I just got fired it’s still relatively new because I remember a few weeks ago when he put out that viral video of him in front of an ocean and announcing his departure from the map he said he was going to take some time away from social media and that was posted in early May and right now we’re approaching Memorial Day it’s only been a few weeks and now he’s jumping right back into it and a lot of people can’t help but compare the Maple leafes and the devils and I get it but I said it in the previous episode that the Devils don’t have to become Maple Lea 2.0 and what do I mean by that well we’ll talk more about that in the second segment but before we continue I want to tell you guys about the game time app I’ve actually used game time to purchase myself some baseball and basketball tickets last minute deals save up to 60% off buying last minute for sports concerts comedy theater and more Flash Deals save even more with exclusive inapp deals on select seats ahead of the game or event Zone deals save even more when you choose a section and let game time choose the seats all in pricing toggling this feature shows a total upfront with no surprise fees at checkout seat views get a good view from your seat in the app before you buy Buy the lowest price guaranteed or game time will credit you 110% of the difference game time ticket coverage your purchase is covered with the most flexible customer service policy in ticketing industry download the game time app create an account and use the code locked on NHL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code locked on NHL for $20 off download the game time app today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed okay so in the previous episode I shared some information about Sheldon Keefe and why I felt like he was the right man for the job this morning I received an email from Devils PR and they provided me more information and I want to share it on this show so like I said in the previous episode Keith is 43 years of age and I think that’s a pretty good age if you ask me he’s relatively young amongst other NHL coaches which means he’s only just getting started and I think it’s a perfect dynamic because this Devil’s team they’re relatively young ke is a relatively young coach and some people were pushing for maybe certain other coaches to be given a crack behind the bench who had never coached at the NHL level because they were like the Devils could maybe relate a little bit more but I think Keith is that perfect balance all right he joins New Jersey after spending the last five seasons as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leaf since since the 20192020 season he recorded a 212 97 and 40 career record during his 10e with the Maple Leaves that gave him a 665 points percentage and his regular season win total ranks fifth all time in Toronto’s franchise history think about that his points percentage places him first amongst all head coaches in Toronto’s franchise history also think about that Keith was the second fastest coach in NHL history with Bruce brro to accumulate 200 wins in an NHL career right behind Dan balma with Pittsburgh he led Toronto to five consecutive postseason appearances and earned a 16- 21 record in 37 career Stanley Cup playoff games remember I don’t think it’s entirely his fault why the Maple Leaves could never really see consistent ways to get past the first round they did so one time last year but they lost the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers in 2021 2022 under Keef the maple EES set a single season franchise record with 54 wins and 115 points while also winning 50 plus games in consecutive years from 2021 to 2023 his teams did not register a points percentage lower than 622 in any season Toronto’s 1,239 goals scored under kei’s guidance ranked second in the NHL behind only Colorado Toronto’s power play finished first in the NHL in 2021 2022 that is something I also want to highlight this Devil’s team I said in the first segment they have a lot of talent and they also have a lot of Talent on their power play units and when you get douge Hamilton back that’s going to take it up a notch when you get Jack Hughes back that’s certainly G to take it up a notch I even though he’s not the power play coach I’m excited to see what can do with this Devil’s power play because I think they are too talented to be middle of the pack and we saw them get off to a fantastic start to the man Advantage last season but they fizzled out once they start dealing with some of those injuries they have a lot of weapons teimo Myer’s also very good on the power play Nico heser Jesper Brad Dawson Mercer the list goes on teams would give an arm and a leg to have some of those assets onto their roster that also set a Toronto franchise record by the way the team’s overall 24.9 power play percentage under Keef ranked second in the NHL behind Edmonton before joining the Maple Leafs Keith was the coach for Toronto’s AHL affiliate the Marley’s from 2015 to 2019 before he was hired by the maple Lees Keef earned a career 99 89229 regular season record in the AHL with the Marley’s and led them to their first ever culer Cup Championship in 2018 the Marley’s also won the McGregor Kilpatrick trophy as AHL regular season Champions on two occasions in 2016 and 2018 and I also mentioned it in the previous episode he saw success in the central Canada Hockey League leading Penbrook to what five consecutive championships and weren’t they going bankrupt as well that’s just amazing Sheldon Keefe and his track history goes way deeper than what I even have provided in the previous episode just the power play the offensive numbers and I get that people are a little skeptic about the playoffs and we’ll talk more about that in the third segment because I wanted to incorporate you guys into this show let’s talk about how keth can differentiate himself from Lindy Ruff I think one of the main downfalls that Lindy Ruff had was that he had trouble utilizing everybody up and down the lineup this past season particularly with Dawson Mercer and teimo Meyer and I get it the Devils were very topheavy they had a lot of cooks in that kitchen but once Tyler the Foley was dealt away and once the Devils got Travis green behind the bench Teo Meer even told the media that the reason he saw a surge in his offensive production was not because he was feeling healthier it was that Travis Green was communicating with them a lot better and I talked about the talent for this Devil’s roster if they can just get better defense better goal tending and if Keith can find a way to utilize everyone’s skill sets to the best of their ability and put out the correct line combinations this Devil’s team is going to go far trust me on that the main thing is like don’t use Teo Meyer as a third line bottom six type player don’t don’t do that don’t at one point Lindy Ruff had Teemo Meyer Curtis Lazar and Dawson M are on the same line as you guys know I love Curtis Lazar I really do but he should not be centering Meer and Mercer Lazar plays physical he’s not a playmaker and another instance Colin Miller was arguably the devil’s best defensive-minded player and Devil’s had a big game against the Rangers John Marino comes back from injury but what does he do he scratches Colin Miller and leaves Brendan Smith in the lineup despite Brendan Smith not really performing all that well in the previous matchup against the capitals because he was out there for a good amount of their goals and Lindy Ru always had this saying which is if you don’t want to see yourself get scratched if you don’t want to see your minutes go down don’t get scored on and that was in reference to Alexander Holtz I think that was a big mistake by Lindy Ruff as well or leaving Nico Daws in for a few games too many I was with the team when they made their California road trip and both times against the Ducks and the Kings Daws had to be subbed out for Akira Schmid my thing is like Akira Schmid performed really well against the Ducks Why not start them in the game against the Kings because that’s pretty much a must-win if you want to keep your job it’s just little things like that that can make a huge difference for this Devil’s team and those are just some examples that come to mind courtesy of a fan someone actually sent me a sound bite via social media about Shel and Keef talking about Jack Hughes and the offensive approach for this Devil’s team take a listen playing against a team that’s among the most dangerous teams in the NHL offensively and they want to play the game like that in terms of countering and getting behind you Jack Hughes gets two breakaways you’re not winning the game if that’s going to be the case here are my honest thoughts on this Devil’s team I can see the resemblance between them and the Maple Leaves I I can definitely see it because Jack Hughes he’s going to be a superstar Jesper brat Nico heser teimo Meyer it’s like the core four all over again the Devils have a lot of good Dynamic weapons up and down their lineup and they have one of the best offensive mind defenseman in the entire league in douge Hamilton you cannot argue that and they have a few solid assets too in Eric Holla or Curtis Lazar like I just mentioned some upand cominging players like Luke Hughes Simo Nemitz Sheamus case recently signed his entry-level contract I get the comparison and I get that some of the issues that the mapley are having the devils are also Happ but I think this is a good reset button for Keith and I just need Tom fcer like I said in the first segment and in yesterday’s episode please make the necessary roster moves to give keth a chance I don’t want this team to become like Maple Le 2.0 and we’ll talk more about some of your guys concerns momentarily but before we continue let me tell you about indeed indeed is the hiring platform where you can attract interview and hire all in one place instead of spending hours on multiple job sites searching for candidates with the right skills indeed’s a powerful hiring platform that can help you do it all we streamline hiring with powerful tools that find you match candidates with instant match over 80% of employers get quality candidates whose resume on indeed matches their job description the most moment they sponsor a job according to indeed data us one thing I like about indeed is that it makes hiring all in one place so easy I remember I was putting myself out there for some play-by-play gigs and I was able to land a few thanks to indeed start hiring now with $75 sponsor job credit to upgrade your job post at indeed.com lockon offer good for a limited time claim your $75 credit now at indeed.com logdon indeed.com logdon terms and conditions apply need to hire you need indeed okay I wanted to get you guys involved with today’s show and I put out on social media how are you feeling about Sheldon Keith becoming the next head coach for the Devils a majority of you said it’s a good higher I put out a poll I believe last week and I gave some options who would you like to see behind the bench for the devils and nearly half the votes were in favor of Sheldon Keith but some of you have brought up your concerns some of you said he’s mid and you thought that the Devils could hire someone a little bit better particularly Craig baru and I think people were focusing on Craig baru’s personality and I’ll be honest with you guys baru was my first choice as well but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go to Toronto and if I’m being completely honest I don’t know if he was ever the front running candidate for the Devils I think they were very well aware of the fact that the Toronto position was going to open up and baru had his eyes set on going back home to Canada to become the next head coach in the mecca of hockey this team doesn’t exactly need a drill sergeant three reason I like baru he’s a former Stanley Cup champion simple as that and he’s worked with Vladimir tereno he’s worked with Ryan O’Reilly Jake Allen has played Underneath Him and remember when Jordan Bennington was first brought on by the blues a rookie goalie and then later he’s playing big games on the the on the playoff stage and they pull off I would say an upset victory over the Boston Bruins because prior to that series the Bruins they’re they’re called city of Champions for a reason Boston is Boston has Championship pedigree in baseball football basketball hockey you name it whereas for the blues they had never won a Stanley Cup prior to 2019 and it was Craig baru who took the Reigns early in the season when it seemed hopeless and they didn’t get off to a good start in 2019 and they turned it around that’s the whole reason I won baru I couldn’t care less about his personality I don’t care if he’s as nice as Mr Rogers I don’t care if he’s a typical drill sergeant these are grown men guys I don’t think personality plays that big of a factor and courtesy of Christy Flannery of the hockey news she actually spoke with Keith’s former players and one of them said coaching style is demanding but he also has a good understanding of pushing the right buttons and that’s from a former player just putting that out there so I think Sheldon Keefe even if he’s not the typical drill sergeant I don’t think that plays that big of a deal and I’m gonna die on that Hill someone else also said first round exits and it kind of bothers him a little bit yes first round exits absolutely but you know what you need to get to the playoffs in order for that to be a possibility you know how many times the Devils have been to the playoffs in the last 10 years we’re going back to 2014 twice they got gentleman swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning and then last year they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in round two yeah two playoff appearances in the past 10 years I don’t give a crap about the maple Le’s bad luck about getting out of the first round my priority for this team is for them to get to the playoffs and then you go from there this team did not make the playoffs in case you didn’t know they did it all right I don’t mean to come off in any which sort of way but it’s just like I would rather for them this season to get to the playoffs and maybe build off something from there whether they go far or not just try to build off something right now that’s the goal for the Devils you need to build the blocks right now they missed the playoffs all right get back to the playoffs all right you made it to the first round now try to get to the second round try to get to the third round try to get to the finals baby steps people stop focusing on the maple Le’s bad luck that’s just my thing for you I think Sheldon Keef is going to be just fine but there weren’t that many complaints when I put out my question on social media it seems like a lot of you are excited and I’m excited too but let me know what you guys think what are some of your concerns for Sheldon Keith and do you have any specific examples in which he can utilize the Devils to the best of his ability so that way he doesn’t make the same mistake as Lindy RW for some other coaches prior I’m curious to hear you guys thoughts leave a comment down below if you’re watching on YouTube hit me up on my personal xpage app at trat 4 or the show’s xpage app at lockon Devils asr’s episode that’s all time I have for you continue stay St safe have a wonderful day New Jersey go Devils I’ll catch you guys in the next episode thanks for listening once again
The New Jersey Devils have now made it official: Sheldon Keefe is the 22nd head coach in team history. I was given more information regarding his past experiences thanks to the Devils’ PR team. He’s accomplished more than what people realize. The Toronto Maples Leafs have given the Devils a gift. I also addressed some people’s concerns about the hiring.
Interview soundbite: Sheldon Keefe (Courtesy Toronto Maple Leafs)
Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LODevils?sid=YouTube
Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL
Subscribe to Locked On Devils!
Follow me on the “X” app: @treymatt4
Follow the show on the “X” app: @LockedOnDevils
Listen to Locked On Devils: https://linktr.ee/LockedOnDevils
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Monopoly GO!: Get in the game and join your friends. Click HERE to Download MONOPOLY GO! now free on The App Store or Google Pay. The mobile hit twist on classic MONOPOLY.
eBay Motors: For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.
Policygenius: Check life insurance off your to do list in no time with Policygenius. Head to policygenius.com/lockedonnhl to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.
Sleeper: Download the Sleeper App and use promo code LOCKEDONNHL to get up to a $100 match on your first deposit. Terms and conditions apply. See Sleeper’s Terms of Use for details.
Gametime: Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase.
FanDuel: FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARENTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – win or lose! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
Thumbnail credit: USA TODAY
#NewJerseyDevils #Devils #NHL #SheldonKeefe