During an interview with Devils play by play voice Matt Loughlin, former Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe explained what he had learned being a head coach for the Maple Leafs.
"There's nothing that I haven't seen or experienced. And I've seen it at the highest level, perhaps we didn't get deep enough in the playoffs for it to really elevate, but I guess the deeper you go in the playoffs, everyone, no matter where you are, you know, the attention and what have you is going to increase, but it's on an everyday basis in Toronto and I've experienced that."
His tenure in Toronto was an interesting one to say the least as he replaced Mike Babcock and took the Leafs to the playoffs every season. His team was only able to get to the second round once where they were dismantled by the Florida Panthers in five games back in 2023.
"I think the biggest thing is just to remain true to yourself, keep the focus on the things that matter and the things that you can control. So that is the perspective I've gained, which comes through any experience in life, but certainly what I've been through as it relates to the media attention and the expectations that were on the team in Toronto.
Keefe expressed that the organization gave him every tool at his disposal to help him coach one of the most vaunted teams in the NHL. He also was the head coach of the Toronto Marlies where he had won the Calder Championship in 2018.
"But the reality is I felt well equipped, even as someone who had never coached in the league for that and simply because everywhere that I've coached, I felt like there's expectations. First of all, I've only ever coached teams with expectations and I love that.
It remains to be seen on how the Devils will respond to Keefe as he will inherit a young team with several prominent stars including Jack Hughes.
