Sheldon Keefe a top candidate to coach Devils after Leafs firing

The New Jersey Devils are still seeking to fulfill their open head coaching role, and with Sheldon Keefe on the market after being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, he has become a serious candidate for the opening, according to Jim Biringer of Full Press Hockey.

It seemed as if Craig Berube was the favorite for the Devils at one point, and he still might be the guy, but with Sheldon Keefe on the market and Jay Woodcroft in the picture as well, it is very much up in the air regarding the next coach of the team. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman spoke on the developing situation as well.

“We’ll just see how deep this goes. There was a time I thought that Berube was going to have an offer to coach the Devils, I’m not as certain about that now,” Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts. “Still may happen, but I’m not as certain. As I said, the Devils, I believe were serious about Berube. They were serious about Woodcroft. I am under the impression that Todd McLellan was gonna get another interview with them, but I had some people saying to me this weekend that they think that Sheldon Keefe is a big factor in this job.”

The development with Keefe is an interesting one. After being dismissed by the Maple Leafs, Keefe posted a video message thanking the organization and fans, and also said he would be taking some time away from social media. No one knows if that entails potentially taking a year off from coaching, as he should be able to land a job next year if he wants too. The Devils are an attractive opening, however, due to the talent that is present on the roster.

Devils’ head coaching candidates

Keefe did not have the playoff success that was satisfactory for the Maple Leafs, but he consistently had his team playing well in the regular season, making the playoffs in each of the five seasons that he was the head coach. He came up through the Maple Leafs organization, coaching the Marlies while coming up the ranks, so it will be interesting to see how he fits in another organization if he takes another job.

Craig Berube is an experienced coach who coached for two years with the Philadelphia Flyers, before joining the St. Louis Blues and winning the Stanley Cup in his first season. It seems like the interest might have quieted with the Devils, but he remains in play.

Jay Woodcroft was also mentioned, and he was fired by the Edmonton Oilers after the rough start to this season. He led the Oilers to the playoffs in 2022 and 2023. It seems like he is in play, based on Friedman’s comments as well.

Todd McLellan has coached the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. His most recent stop was with the Kings, and he was dismissed during this season, and he is seemingly in play for the Devils job as well.

As of right now, Keefe seems to be the name to watch for the Devils. It will be interesting to see how things progress in the coming days and weeks.