Former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe is still getting adjusted to his new life with the New Jersey Devils but is feeling more comfortable by the day with his new team.
Keefe stopped by on Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill to reflect on his former team, the growth he has seen from afar, and how things have been for him with the Devils. Among the topics discussed were the differences between Toronto and the rest of the league, which he noted that there isn’t that drastic of a change apart from the size of the market.
“It’s been good, it’s been fun. Change is good —on both sides..”
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“The first thing I’d say is there’s way more similarities than there are differences because it’s the NHL,” Keefe said. “The demands of the league and the schedule and the competition is just so high. You’re so caught up in the daily routines of practice day, game day, off day, and preparing for each game. So that feels very similar. The players and all the challenges of building a team. All that is very similar.”
“Of course, the market is different and the demands on the media side are different and just the overall feel is different,” he added. “It’s no secret. There’s a lot of pressure in Toronto and expectation to deliver and the fans certainly deserve a win. Big reason why I’m not there any longer is my inability to push the team through. They sort of get rid of some of that heaviness and get a fresh start there with Chief, which I think is great.
Keefe went on to mention that his family is still living in Toronto so he tries to go back over to visit his family when he has a moment. While it has been a challenge trying to grind away on his own for now, he is enjoying his new surroundings in Newark.
Tuesday’s game won’t be the first time Keefe has squared off against his former team as the Leafs rolled into town on the second game of the regular season to record Craig Berube’s first win as Toronto’s coach. Since that time, both teams have enjoyed success in the regular season with the Leafs improving defensively, while the Devils have rebounded nicely after an off-year where injuries ruined their campaign.
Even though he feels more comfortable now in New Jersey, Keefe had to do a double take at times during the first meeting given how accustomed he had been to primarily seeing the Leafs colours for nearly a decade.
“As odd as it sounds, in that game we coached so early in the season, even the colours were off to me,” Keefe said. “You get so used to seeing Blue and White for nine years, Leafs and Marlies, and all of a sudden they’re on the other side. Even that felt weird. But very comfortable in the red and black here right now.”
“It’s been good. It’s been fun. Change is good on both sides, I think. And I’m living that now.”
His daily focus is now primarily concerned with Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischer, and Dougie Hamilton among others on the Devils team. Keefe is blessed to have a strong goalie tandem in Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen with the challenge of determining which of the two to lean on more as the season progresses. And of course, his daily meetings with GM Tom Fitzgerald in terms of how to ensure the team keeps improving and what sorts of things to look out for.
Keefe can’t help but be impressed by the growth he has seen from afar with Matthew Knies as he has quickly cemented himself as a critical member of the core group in just his second full season with the team. Keefe knew Knies would be special from the moment he first joined the team late in the 2022-23 season because of his ability to play at a high pace with a lot of power and strength.
“I described him when he arrived as a game changer for us, just because we were looking for so long for a left winger ow that could come in and solidify that group,” Keefe said of Knies. “Last season, I think he, like a lot of first-year players was kind of figuring it out, learning the league and learning how to play over 82 games. But if you look back, even that first playoff when he joined us fresh out of the NCAA, I wish I could get have two or three of them. I was trying him on different lines and playing on the top line, playing them on the checking line, just trying to utilize the skills. And we lost him in that Florida series. That was a big deal, and that was a credit to him, despite his inexperience. I think he’s an incredible young player that, as you’re already seeing, is a real game-changer to the lineup there.”
Keefe also had high praise for Fraser Minten, detailing him as a highly intelligent player who can translate his skillset on the ice. Although Keefe only coached Minten for four games, the former Leafs bench boss could be strong in all areas of the ice while being blessed with good size.
“If we can just make this happen and sort of speed up his development, it would really help us that much more. Turned out that it just wasn’t quite ready, but it was very apparent he’s going to be a very successful NHLer,” he said on his rationale at the time. “Another guy that I think in time will be exactly what the team needs and that time might just be now. He certainly seems as though he’s playing well. I’ve started to watch a little bit today to get prepared for tomorrow. But I follow enough on the team and statistically and analytically and what’s going on to see that he’s making an impact.”
Keefe also spoke about his plans to meet up with his former colleagues for dinner to catch up while expressing his gratitude for everyone in the Leafs management for allowing him that chance to coach his boyhood team despite not getting the job done in the playoffs.
“ I’m happy that the team has continued to press along and do even better, and wish them nothing but the best except for tomorrow night or anytime we meet up,” he said. “It’s gonna be great. It’s gonna be different being on the other side. Never coached on the other bench in that building, whether it was Leafs or Marlies and that’s gonna be different. But I think there’s a lot of hockey to play between now and then, including tomorrow night. We gotta sort out our play in our own building first.”
You can listen to the full interview with Keefe down below:
