Sheldon Keefe is heading into 2026-27 with the kind of runway that can disappear fast if the New Jersey Devils stumble early.
Since taking over behind the bench to open the 2024-25 season, Keefe has delivered a little bit of everything. At times, the Devils have looked overwhelming under his watch.
At other moments, they’ve played like a team that forgot its own identity. Most nights have landed somewhere in the middle, but the bigger issue is the same one that has hung over his tenure from the start: the Devils still haven’t found a way to perform at a high level with any real consistency.
There are reasons for that, injuries included. But one playoff win across two seasons is not the standard for a team that is supposed to be pushing forward, not trying to find itself.
General manager Sunny Mehta has already made changes that could help Keefe’s case. He moved on from assistant coaches who were underperforming and brought in new voices who are expected to help the group on the ice.
He also reworked the depth forwards, and while goaltending remains uncertain, the subtraction of Jacob Markstrom may actually help right now given how much he struggled. The defense, though, is largely unchanged, which leaves Keefe and his staff with the job of getting that group - and the rest of the roster - to click.
That context matters, because Mehta may be willing to show some patience. But not unlimited patience.
The Devils cannot afford to keep burning through prime years from Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, among others. At minimum, this has to be a team that shows up as a consistent playoff threat.
Better than that, it has to get close to the Cup Finals. More first-round and second-round exits simply won’t be enough anymore, and Mehta’s early moves suggest he understands that.
The real question is how much of that urgency reaches Keefe.
Barring injuries in training camp or the preseason, the Devils appear set to begin 2026-27 at full strength. If that holds, then the expectations for a fast start should be high.
The Metropolitan Division has also been shaken up, and with all of the personnel movement, Carolina - the defending champions - is the only team that really looks like a clear bet to succeed. Outside of that, things feel wide open.
With that kind of roster talent and that kind of landscape, the Devils have to take advantage. The biggest issue may not be the personnel. It may be whether Keefe’s system is the right one to get the most out of it.
If it isn’t, then Mehta may not wait long.
A rough start could put Keefe on the clock by the end of November at the latest. American Thanksgiving is still viewed in a lot of hockey circles as a key checkpoint for playoff hopes, even if that marker has lost a little of its power in recent years.
And there is a clear example of how quickly things can change: the St. Louis Blues made an early-season coaching change in 2019, added a player or two, and ended up riding that reset all the way to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
If the Devils are serious about chasing a championship and they open the season poorly, Mehta may have to make the same kind of hard call. That would mean moving on from Keefe and trying to spark the group in a new direction before the season slips away.
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Quinn Hughes summer has already turned into one of those familiar hockey whispers that never quite goes away, and his ties to New Jersey are only making the chatter louder. He has spent much of the offseason in the state with his family and his brothers, who are already with the Devils, which is enough to keep fans and speculation spinning while the clubs front office looks at a roster that suddenly has more flexibility to work with.
From New Jerseys perspective, the timing is what makes the idea linger. The Devils are in a better spot with cap room and trade assets than they were before, and that has naturally put them in the conversation for a move that would have seemed far-fetched not long ago. Nothing official has materialized, but when a star is connected to the area and a team is better positioned than expected, the rumor mill tends to do the rest. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Built More Firepower But One Question Could Still Sink Them
The Devils spent the offseason clearly trying to add another layer to their attack, bringing in forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and Ben Steeves while also signing Anthony Mantha to a two-year contract. They also locked up captain Nico Hischier, a move that keeps the core intact and signals an organization that believes it can push its way deeper into the Eastern Conference picture.
Still, for all the added firepower, the biggest swing factor might be in the crease, where the team is facing an uneasy transition after moving on from Jacob Markstrom. New Jersey is set to lean on Nico Daws and David Rittich, and if the offense is going to translate into wins, the Devils may need one of them to settle the position quickly. [Read more 🡒]