What’s Next for Sheldon Keefe as New Jersey Devils Season Approaches a Likely Disappointing End
As the New Jersey Devils come out of a disappointing 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators, head coach Sheldon Keefe had a few things to say about his team's recent effort. New Jersey lost their last two games, leaving them 4-6-0 in their previous 10 games, and Keefe clearly wasn’t having it. Once the final buzzer sounded, Keefe went on with the postgame interview and he wasn’t afraid to point the finger. New Jersey defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic opened up on how this team needs a playoff mentality moving forward, but his coach had something else on his mind. Keefe kept it simple and said Kovacevic needed to play better, which ended the press conference right there. A bold move to point the finger at the 27-year-old defenseman, but there’s no doubt he has a point on the team needing to play better. As the season reaches a likely disappointing end, what’s the status of this head coach?
Through disappointing seasons, a common question to bring up is if it’s really the coach's fault for the struggles. Remember, New Jersey has been struck with injuries as of late, leaving them vulnerable for quite a while. Sheldon Keefe has done a lot to keep this team going without their power forward, Jack Hughes, and key defenseman, Dougie Hamilton, both out for the season. Of all the struggle they’ve been through as of late, they remain with a six-point lead ahead of the New York Rangers for third in the Metropolitan Division. A coach can have as good a resume as anyone else, but it’s important to remember it’s the effort of the players on the ice that really matters in the end. If a team doesn’t play like they wanna win without key offense and defense, there’s nothing a head coach can do. As the struggle continues, it’s safe to say Sheldon Keefe is not one to blame.
With Keefe not to blame, what does this mean for him in the future? Though it can’t be considered his fault, his New Jersey team wasn’t exactly doing so sharp before injuries struck. Before Hughes was injured on March 2nd, they were currently going through a 9-11-3 stretch in their last 23 games, not quite a flex. Throughout the season, New Jersey has continued to survive in the playoff race despite struggle. Fortunately, thanks to the talent of players such as Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier, the postseason odds are still in their favor. Sheldon Keefe has remained a major improvement to their previous coach and is in for a huge test as he most likely will take this injured Devils team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so it's safe to say he is not on the hot seat whatsoever once the season ends. All fans can hope is that Keefe can come up with new ways to motivate these Devils, ensuring they’ll at least not go down this season without some fight in them.
