Takeaways from Sheldon Keefe's introductory presser

Keefe and company answered questions for an hour. I have some thoughts on what was (and wasn't) said.

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The New Jersey Devils held an hour-long press conference on Tuesday to announce the hiring of Sheldon Keefe.

The team’s new bench boss also made the rounds doing a ton of media hits, talking with Amanda Stein, Jeff Marek, and TSN’s flagship show Overdrive.

I have thoughts/takeaways on some of what was said. Let’s get into it.

Keefe was No. 1 on the list

Listening to Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald speak, it was clear Keefe jolted his way to the top of the list the moment he became available. And Fitzgerald had no problem sitting and waiting for that day to come.

That’s not surprising given how things played out. If the Devils had Jay Woodcroft or Todd McLellan, for example, at the top of their list and were completely in love with what they heard, they wouldn’t have waited for other coaches to shake loose. They would’ve hired someone immediately if they felt they found the perfect fit.

Fitzgerald clearly had his eyes on Keefe, knowing he was unlikely to survive an early exit from the Maple Leafs (depending on how things played out, even a 2nd round departure might’ve had the team moving on from Keefe). And he wasted no time making a move once Keefe was let go.

Collaboration is key

Fitzgerald made it crystal clear what he was looking for in a coach at his end-of-year availability. One of the main boxes on his checklist was finding a collaborative coach who will utilize all the resources the Devils have assembled (sports science, analytics, etc.).

Ownership has invested a lot into those departments. All they’d be doing is lighting money on fire if they didn’t bring in someone who will put it to use. Perhaps more than any other notable coach on the market, Keefe will do just that.

The OHL’s Soo Greyhounds were at the forefront of the analytics revolution when Kyle Dubas and Keefe were there. The Maple Leafs/Marlies also put together first-in-class departments during Keefe’s tenure with the organization.

Fitzgerald hinted at that during the presser, noting that Keefe is innovative from prior work experiences.

That’s not to say the numbers will be followed blindly and Keefe is never going to make a decision you could argue against analytically. But he is starving for information. He wants anything and everything you can throw at him and he’ll do what he feels is best after soaking it all in.

Keefe and Fitzgerald made it clear sports science and analytics would be used to make decisions on a daily basis and even for adjustments live in games. If Keefe was resistant to that in any way, I don’t think he’d have been hired.

Keefe pushed back on playoff history