For the first time since Sheldon Keefe joined in the middle of the 2019 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs are receiving a new head coach.
Although Keefe is currently in New Jersey and is going to win Coach of the Year, Craig Berube is the new head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Keefe is joining the Devils, who had a disappointing campaign the previous year, in a fantastic situation with a loaded roster.
Keefe should lead the Devils to a winning season, in my opinion. They will contend for the metropolitan division and easily unseat one of the Eastern Conference teams from last season to a postseason spot.
A lock for the Jack Adams is Keefe.
The Devils had a big offseason. Jacob Markstrom, Paul Cotter, Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Stefan Noesen, Tomas Tatar, and Kevin Labanc were able to join them. The addition of Markstrom to this team was the most significant offseason move. The Devils had trouble between the pipes the previous season. The previous season, they started games with five different goalies. Jake Allen, Kaapo Kahkonen, Vitek Vanecek, Niko Daws, and Akira Schmid. Allen was the best option available to them, so they acquired him at the deadline to strengthen the roster. His save percentage of.900, 1.91 goals saved above expectation, and -1.87 goals saved above average were all recorded during his 13 games for New Jersey (all advanced stats courtesy of Evolving-Hockey.com).
Markstrom gives Allen a supporting role.
Markstrom gives Allen a supporting role. With Allen as a solid backup and Markstrom playing at a Vezina level for the Flames last season, they have one of the best tandems in the league.
Regaining Dougie Hamilton and adding Pesce, Dillon, and Kovacevic strengthened their blue line. Keefe has a powerful blue line paired with an excellent tandem. The Devils have strengthened their roster with the addition of forwards, and they are healthy as well. Only Kevin Bahl, Alexander Holtz, Dawson Mercer, Luke Hughes, and Jesper Bratt played all 82 games in the previous season, which was an absolute nightmare. I anticipate a fantastic season from Jack Hughes, who might challenge for the Hart Trophy in addition to strong play from Timo Meier and Nico Hischier for the entire season. The Devils ought to be among the best teams in the Eastern Conference with a healthy roster, much less a healthy forward core. There was no better scenario for Sheldon Keefe to enter. Having said that, Keefe is an excellent regular-season coach. According to NHL.com, he had a regular season record of 212-97-40 in 349 games with the Leafs. To win that many games, you need talent, but you also need to be a skilled coach.