Devils Reportedly Hiring Sheldon Keefe In Bid To Jumpstart Young Stars

Less than one week after Craig Berube was announced as Sheldon Keefe's replacement behind the bench of the Toronto Maple Leafs, we now know that Keefe is headed to New Jersey to lead the Devils.

Rear Admiral of Barstool Sports was the first to report that Keefe will be named the next coach of the Devils.

He'll be taking over a talented, young roster that was either given lofty expectations that were way too high to start the season or completely under-delivered.

I guess it depends on who you ask (I say the former).

It seemed like this was destined to happen especially after the Leafs granted the Devils permission to talk to Keefe. Sure, some dopes thought he was destined to join his ol' buddy Kyle Dubas in the Penguins organization, but they were wrong.

While the team has yet to make an announcement, this seems like it'll be a good fit for both sides.

READ: MAPLE LEAFS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE, HIRE CRAIG BERUBE AS NEW HEAD COACH 

For starters, Keefe gets a change of pace from being inside one of the most high-pressure gigs in hockey. That isn't to say coaching the Devils won't come with its own pressures, but he'll be coaching in a market with two other NHL teams and where hockey isn't the center of the universe the way it is in Toronto.

That'll be a nice change of pace.

Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes headline a talented, young Devils roster that Sheldon Keefe will be reportedly be taking over.  (Photo by Andrea Cardin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Keefe Should Be A Big Help For Devils' Young Core

As for the Devils, Keefe is a younger coach who does well with young players, and that's exactly what they've got in New Jersey. According to Left Wing Lock, they were the sixth-youngest team in the league this year. 

His record speaks for itself. Yeah, the playoff success isn't there, but it wasn't there for any of the coaches who preceded him dating back to 2004, and he was the one that finally got the Leafs into the second round last season.

For the most part, Keefe's teams delivered during the regular season, and as long as he can keep them accountable — a big problem in Toronto at times — the Devils have enough talent in Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Luke Hughes, and the rest of the roster to at least make the playoffs next season if they tighten things up between the pipes and can stay healthy.