It didn't take long after he was fired for Sheldon Keefe to officially be hired by the New Jersey Devils. Keefe was immediately coveted by the Devils after being relieved of his duties by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Keefe had failed to get the Maple Leafs over the hump and led the team to another first-round exit before being fired.
The hockey world however didn't believe that Keefe was the problem. Earlier this summer, It was revealed that Sheldon Keefe was an early favorite to win the Jack Adams Trophy. Despite doing nothing to improve his resume, it appeared the hockey world felt that the players in Toronto were the true problem. Now Keefe would have an opportunity to prove he was a good coach.
To start the preseason, however, he has done everything but that. While the Devils are just three games into their schedule, they have yet to win a game and even worse have looked terrible while doing so.
The Devils currently sit at 0-4-0, and they have been completely outplayed in those games. The Devils have given up 17 goals in those 4 games and have only scored 6 goals of their own. While this is just preseason hockey, New Jersey looks out of sync. They look like a team trying to play a style they've never played before and Keefe looks like he still struggles to make any adjustments.
After missing the playoffs last season the Devils will need Keefe to harness the team's talent. If he's unable to do so, his Jack Adam and the Devils playoff hopes will likely find themselves in jeopardy sooner than later.
POLL | ||
28 SEPTEMBRE | 156 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe struggling in new role with the New Jersey Devils Was Sheldon Keefe the right hire for the New Jersey Devils? | ||
Yes, he was | 35 | 22.4 % |
No, he wasn't | 71 | 45.5 % |
Only time will tell | 50 | 32.1 % |
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