{"id":399617,"date":"2026-01-10T14:48:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T14:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/399617\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T14:48:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T14:48:17","slug":"devils-sheldon-keefe-should-not-be-scapegoat-fire-amid-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/399617\/","title":{"rendered":"Devils Sheldon Keefe Should Not be Scapegoat Fire Amid Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re at the point of the New Jersey Devils<\/a>\u2018 disaster where Sheldon Keefe is fielding questions about his job security.<\/p>\n

Rightfully so, as the Devils\u2019 dysfunction continues day in and day out.<\/p>\n

However, that\u2019s not entirely on New Jersey\u2019s head coach, as the issues go above him at the managerial position.<\/p>\n

After Thursday\u2019s 4-1 loss to the<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins, Keefe responded when asked if he was worried about being fired.<\/p>\n

His answer was astute.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s out of my hands. It\u2019s not in my control,\u201d Keefe started. \u201cLike I said, I liked a lot about our game here. I know what this team needs, and we got to get them going, but I\u2019m also well aware of the reality of the business and how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Devils\u2019 head coach went on to advocate for himself with a well reasoned defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got to focus on getting our team ready for the next game and keep building here,\u201d Keefe continued. \u201cTo me, we can use this, as an organization, as a great opportunity to take great steps in the big picture. We\u2019ve got a lot of things that we need to get better at. When we lose focus on that, and we get ahead of ourselves, this kind of thing happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, Keefe injected some truth serum.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got work to do to become a real hockey team,\u201d Keefe said. \u201cI think there\u2019s a perception that we were a real hockey team before the work was put in. And you get exposed, and that, to me, is where we\u2019re at. We\u2019ve got to keep on building our game. And you see lots of elements out there. It\u2019s closer than you think. Some of those pucks fall in the first period, some of these chances [fall], we win this hockey game here today. But, that\u2019s where we\u2019re at right now. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to keep working at it, and I\u2019m going to keep working on it. Part of coaching is you\u2019ve got to deal with crisis and challenges. This kind of thing excites me. I believe I can be part of the part of the solution here, and I\u2019m going to keep doing my job to find the answers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Devils signed Keefe on May 23rd, 2024, just a few short weeks after he was let go of by the Toronto Maple Leafs.<\/p>\n

Since he\u2019s been the bench boss in New Jersey, the Devils hold a 64-53-9 record through a season and a half. In 2024-25, Keefe\u2019s first year as head coach, he led an injury decimated team back to the playoffs after missing the postseason in 2023-24.<\/p>\n

However, it was short-lived. The injuries proved too much to overcome, and they were bounced in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes.<\/p>\n

Jack Hughes<\/a> missed the remainder of the 2024-25 season after getting shoulder surgery in March. Although it was their most devastating injury, it wasn\u2019t the only one.<\/p>\n

Still, Keefe managed to steer an underdeveloped roster back to the playoffs with few, underwhelming reinforcements at the trade deadline in Cody Glass, Daniel Sprong\u2014who isn\u2019t even a regular in the KHL this year\u2014Brian Dumoulin and Dennis Cholowski, all tasked with replacing the likes of Jack and Dougie Hamilton<\/a> who were shelved.<\/p>\n

General manager Tom Fitzgerald<\/a> went into the following summer seeking depth scoring. He reeled in Connor Brown and Arseny Gritsyuk<\/a>. Yet, the Devils\u2019 roster still lacked a top-six forward, and a third-line center.<\/p>\n

The Devils started well, and amid an eight-game win streak, Keefe continued to stand firm that the early narrative that the 2025\u201326 Devils were \u201cmature\u201d due to early success was premature.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I mean, we\u2019ve been talking about [being mature] a lot,\u201d Keefe explained in October after a strong start to the season. \u201cMedia has stuff to talk about and ask me about, [but] we\u2019ve played five games here. I think you can\u2019t make any proclamations, positive, negative, any of this kind of stuff. It\u2019s way too early. I like how we\u2019ve handled different situations that have come up in games. Whether it\u2019s the early penalty kills, you need them, not letting the other team get life, whether it\u2019s scoring early and getting the lead and taking care of it. Or getting behind, but not panicking and finding your way back. All of those things are good and positive signs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keefe went on to explain New Jersey\u2019s faults despite a strong record.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many things that we can do way better, and we need to do way better. It\u2019s one thing to win games in the early goings in October, while teams are trying to find themselves, but we\u2019re trying to build something sustainable here. In order to do that, we have to play a lot better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boy, was he right.<\/p>\n

Fast-forward to today, and the Devils are in a disastrous position. Early injuries derailed a strong start, and now that everyone is back and healthy, the Devils still can\u2019t seem to get it together.<\/p>\n

New Jersey ranks 31st in the NHL with 2.55 goals per game. Their power play and penalty kill continue to fall in the ranks, and since December 1st, they rank near the bottom of the league.<\/p>\n

Yet, this isn\u2019t on Keefe for the most part.<\/p>\n

Is he utilizing the Devils to their strengths as a speedy, high skill, rush team? Not necessarily. Instead, he\u2019s trying to instill responsible two-way hockey, and for good reason. <\/p>\n

However, has Keefe been equipped with what he needs to be successful? Not necessarily, he\u2019s working with what he\u2019s got.<\/p>\n

An underwhelming roster construction by Fitzgerald is a key factor. They came into the season with a clear needs, as previously mentioned, which is something the Devils GM scoffed at when asked about.<\/p>\n

Neither of those issues have been addressed. In fact, Fitzgerald\u2019s backed himself into a corner here, potentially running into trouble to even move Johnathan Kovacevic off long-term injured reserve without clearing out cap space.<\/p>\n

It would be foolish for the Devils to move off of Keefe this early into his tenure. He hasn\u2019t been given a fair shake. Keefe deserves a trade or two to get the Devils\u2019 roster right. He adopted a flawed roster when he came to New Jersey, and it has yet to be rectified under Fitzgerald\u2019s management.<\/p>\n

Put it this way. The head coach who has never had a true No.1 defenseman to work with, or who was forced to use Ondrej Palat in the top six over and over, or the man who had no choice but to deploy Glass as his 2C heading into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and then Dawson Mercer<\/a> as his 2C this season when Jack went down, while having to stomach below average goaltending by his so-called No.1 goaltender\u2014after an ill-advised extension\u2014has to fall in the sword?<\/p>\n

All while Fitzgerald continues to contemplate what depth scoring is? Heck, contemplate what scoring is in general? <\/p>\n

The Devils\u2019 downfall in 2025-26 is purely on roster construction. Keefe hasn\u2019t had the adequate parts for the machine to run properly.<\/p>\n

Head coaches are recycled like plastic these days. Martin St. Louis was hired four seasons ago, and he\u2019s one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NHL right now. Bringing in yet another head coach, or naming an interim, will do little for the Devils.<\/p>\n

Word is Fitzgerald\u2019s job is safe, for now.<\/p>\n

Until the Devils GM adequately provides Keefe with what he needs to be successful, New Jersey\u2019s head coach should not have to fall on his sword.<\/p>\n

Using Keefe as the scapegoat for the Devils\u2019 shortcomings thus far would be a mistake, and if anyone is going to let him go, it shouldn\u2019t be Fitzgerald.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"avatar\"<\/p>\n

\t\tJames is the New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on Sportsnaut and the PHWAs New … More about James Nichols<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019re at the point of the New Jersey Devils\u2018 disaster where Sheldon Keefe is fielding questions about his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399618,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5109],"tags":[201,3723,5,576,151,5185,5184,4,886,3502],"class_list":{"0":"post-399617","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-jersey-devils","8":"tag-devils","9":"tag-devils-news","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-new-jersey","12":"tag-new-jersey-devils","13":"tag-newjersey","14":"tag-newjerseydevils","15":"tag-nhl","16":"tag-sheldon-keefe","17":"tag-tom-fitzgerald"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115871358489182984","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}