OverDrive - Keefe on the Devils' overall season, Hughes' notable leadership and playing against the Maple Leafs

Episode Date: December 9, 2024

New Jersey Devils Head Coach Sheldon Keefe joined OverDrive to discuss the season overview with the Devils, the overall foundation of the roster in New Jersey, playing and coaching against his former team, Jack Hughes' stardom on the team and more.

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or visit askkelvin.ca here he is the head coach of the new jersey devil sheldon keith how you doing sheldon doing very well guys very well thanks yes you get uh ptsd thinking of mark masters interviewing you before the game tomorrow night? No, man. You know what? Those are the little things. I've been asked. This is not my first Toronto interview here today.

And I've been asked a lot about some of the similarities or differences, but not having to deal with the likes of Masters on a daily basis would be probably the biggest difference. That said, as we all know, he's one of the best. So, Jersey broadcast, you're not doing a pregame interview? I've yet to do one this year. Except for when Masters was in town back in October. I love it. Well, he'll be there tomorrow, man.

Be ready. And we're looking forward to it. It's going to be fun tomorrow, man. Be ready. And we're looking forward to it. It's going to be fun tomorrow night. We're going to be on the panel for the game. And there's a lot going on down in that New York area, man. Have you spotted Juan Soto today? Any buzz down there in Jersey about that kind of money or what? Lots of chatter.

Lots of chatter around and about it. They certainly love their sports teams here in Jersey, New York. Lots of chatter about it for sure. There's no shortage of hype for sports fans around here. So, yeah, it's making big news. That's a lot of cash. A lot of cash. And I'm curious as a coach what that's like.

Like last year when Willie got his deal and Austin got his deal, how do you handle that kind of stuff as a coach when a player gets paid that kind of money and all the team knows it, all the boys know it, the media's going to be buzzing about it? What kind of role do you play in kind of introducing that contract into the room if you do at all? Yeah, I mean, I think you do that.

I think the first thing is it's it's not i mean the money of course is so you have a kenton you can kind of make light of it that way but you know it's also it's a player making a commitment to the team it's a team making a commitment to the player so i think that's that's the big part of it i was there you know and kind of broke the news to the team when willie had signed his extension and you're kind of you're making that connection. I think that's an important thing is the commitment made on

both sides and there's lots of cash involved too. You want these players, you want everybody to be well paid. I think we all want to maximize our worth and all that kind of stuff and do so within the restraints of the salary cap and still allow the team to be competitive, all those kind of good things.

But I want to see you guys well compensated. Absolutely. With Sheldon Keefe, head coach of the Devils, Leafs Devils tomorrow night on TSN4. In terms of your approach, you guys are off to a great start. Obviously, you've had a lot of success down there. How much of the philosophy you had here in Toronto systematically, your approach to players on a team basis, individual basis, how much of that is carried over to your job in New Jersey and the way that you're coaching the Devils?

A fair bit, I'd say. You know, I mean, I believe what I believe in terms of the game and how to put together a system and a structure and the things you want to emphasize. That said, you know, it is a unique team and a unique group. I think we're, you know, it's a team that didn't make the playoffs the year before, has only made the playoffs, you know, twice in the last 12 years. You know, someone like Jack Hughes has only played in the playoffs one time.

We've got a lot of work to do here in terms of setting the foundation of the team. I, you know, I inherited a different situation in toronto um you know here we got we've got a good team and we like we're at here to start the year though i certainly still go to the rink with a long list of things to improve on uh we got a lot of work to do to set a foundation uh here to be competitive year over year and then ultimately be a team that's knocking on the door and trying to find its way through playoff success. But I think with our work habits and our detail and structure defensively and our competitiveness and just our overall habits and routines

and everything that we do at the rink, away from the rink, all that sort of stuff. We're really trying to button up and get to a high standard here, and so far the players have certainly bought into it. Sheldon, every coach in the league knows pretty much every player, but you get to lay eyes on a guy like Jesper Bratt every day. I don't want to say he's the household name, but he's a guy who's got 37 points this season i mean he's leading your team is how did he surprise you how good he is or you know did you know how good he is or you know just shed some light on on how well he's played for you yeah i mean i think i certainly had appreciation for his skill level you know the

the few times we play new jersey in the pre-scouts, you dig in on it a little bit and you certainly are aware of it, but seeing it on a daily basis, seeing it in practice, the speed and agility that he has in tight spaces and the change of direction, it's certainly in the top 1% of the league.

So it's fun to watch. But probably more important than that is for Brad, how he approaches the game on a daily basis, his professionalism, the way he takes care of himself, the time he spends in the gym, the recovery time, everything that he does to remain healthy and to play at a high level consistently is that I've been really, really impressed with and something that you would never know just watching him play on TV. But he's a real professional and, you know, there's not a moment that he's not doing what

he thinks is right to, you know, better himself for the next day. So that's been equally impressive as a talent. himself for the next day. So that's been equally impressive as a talent. With Sheldon Keefe, we always discuss a former coach coaching against his ex-team and how he would have all these inside secrets. Can you confirm or deny if that's actually accurate? Like if you're game planning against Matthews, Nylander, Marner, you would know them as well as anybody.

Do you feel you know how to stop them better than anyone else could in the league? Where do you stand on that? Oh, man, I don't know. When you're dealing with players like that, and we just played against McKinnon and McCarr just last night, and you're playing against these exceptional players, I think you put a plan in place that is the same. It's not any different than what you do for any other team.

You've got to limit your time with the puck. You've got to limit your time and space. I don't think there's any real schematic or structure-type thing that is going to really frustrate them. I don't think any of that insight really is helpful. It's just the obvious things. You've got to be on top of them. You've you gotta make it hard for them to get to the net you gotta force them to defend and keep the puck away from them as best you can you also gotta live with the

reality that they're gonna get their looks so you gotta you gotta do your best to deny and defend it and hope that you make good on your chances it's no different for for us you know we've already approached them this is the second time playing them, and I'm trying to look at their games and things that I can really talk about, but the principles are what they are. We've just got to be good no matter who we're playing. Kiefer, I got a kick out of this. Jack Hughes, some of his answers with the media.

I think he was asked last week whether he was trying to embarrass the goalie, and he just said, like, I don't even know what that means. Like, what are you talking about? He has like a surfer vibe to him. What's his act like to be around every day? He's a very interesting guy, and I've really enjoyed him. I mean, he's clearly very much raised in a hockey family and knows the game extremely well.

But he's very, very confident and very, very competitive at the same time. And I don't think he's got much time for any crap outside of, you know, the business and what he's doing on the ice, how he can help our team win. So I think, you know, I got to kick out of his answer there. It's not surprising at all. But we've had great exchanges you know we've pushed each other and and we're kind of helping to figure each other out and how we can help our team get to where we want to be and he's to me he's playing exceptionally well you know his play with the puck is is phenomenal but he like he is he has

really been committed to the defensive side of the game, winning puck battles, getting the puck back, all things that I think are required for any top player to be good at to help lead your team. He's really, really bought into that, I think, at a higher level than he has previously in his career. As I've told him, these are the things that I need from you. You deliver on them. I do everything that I can to put him in a a position to succeed to utilize his strengths offensively and i think that uh so far

that give and take has worked out well for us do you ever find it shocking that you have to bring up the idea like during this conversation alone i've heard you say detail structure puck battles defensive zone awareness like does it not shock you that you have to bring it to players attention so much like i've never considered the nhl a developmental league and it just seems like you have to harp on this stuff all the time with guys where it just seemed like it was a non-negotiable thing i like dating myself but it was like you better do this or you don't get to play and now it's like coach has got to be on guys' asses all the time. Yeah, I mean, I think it's a combination of just the era of where we're at

and the way these players come up through minor hockey and stuff, and I don't think these other areas of the game are prioritized the same. And so many of them you know their talent level is so high that they get what they can get away with so much but then you finally you get to a level where you know that uh if you make the mistake here or there or you cut a corner here or there there's somebody probably just as good on the other team and and they'll make you pay for it but um yeah i think that's part of our job. It's part of the deal in coaching is to stay on these things.

It's hard to do over the course of 82 games. That's one thing I think you guys I'm sure can appreciate. It gets hard to do it city to city 82 times. You're going to have nights where you're not feeling it or it's not going right, but you hope that you've got enough of a foundation there and you can minimize mistakes enough that you give yourself a chance to win and compete every night.

But the buy-in from our guys in this area has been really good. We've had dips, no question, and, you know, that I don't feel very good about, but, you know, then sometimes I step back and, you know, I get lots of reports of where we're at as a team and look at where we are in the league in different categories.

And things have been going pretty good. But, you know, if anything, that's more motivation to keep pushing because there's so much opportunity for this group to continue to grow and we will need to be because, you know, I like to think we're just kind of getting started here

in terms of sustainability. How nice is it to look back and see a guy like Markstrom? And Jake Allen's played well for you as well. It's a veteran tandem. Both of them have been starters in the league. Markie's an elite starter, a guy who's been a superstar in this league for many years. So how comfortable is that to lay your head on a pillow at night knowing you've got two guys that you can trust every night?

Yeah, it's been really good. You know, it's been really good. And both guys not only have played well for us, you know, they've had little dips at times where they bounce right back, which is great and a credit to them. Their mindset's really good. Two veteran guys, very experienced. You know, this is, you know, at least in my experience, in my time,

you don't always get a lot of, say, leadership from the goaltenders. They're sort of kind of on an island and kind of do their own thing. But these two guys both, they bring a lot of leadership qualities to our locker room. They're both competitors, smart, smart guys that know the game really well and offer lots to what is still a young core and young group of guys. The stuff and the pucks, they've done a job, but they've also helped really set and push our culture that we're trying to build here too.

Yeah, I'm sure Noodles will love to hear that. Get the goalies speaking out a little bit more, right? It's basically saying I wasn't a leader when I played. Just stay in the corner and shut up, please. We got it. We got it taken care of. But it is rare. You're saying that.

You don't hear that too often. Generally speaking, goalies just kind of do their own thing too, right, Sheldon? They kind of want to be left alone on game days and let themselves just kind of do whatever they have to do to get ready. Yeah, no question. Don't get me wrong. These guys are preparing and they're getting themselves ready, but they're very observant of what's going on around them.

They've been on different teams. Jake Allen won the Stanley Cup in St. Louis. As Noodles knows as the goalie, often when you are sitting back, whether it's in the net or in the room, you take in a lot, and these guys are very smart and won't be surprised if, you know, they'll be coaches if they want to be when this is all said and done. But, you know, they're both good assets, you know, for me to lean on coming into a new situation.

And, you know, along with some others that Fitz brought in this summer for me to lean on coming into a new situation. While some others that Fitz brought in this summer to our group, it's really helped support the leadership group. Leafs-Devils tomorrow night on TSN4. Here's Sheldon Keefe. Sheldon, Mark will be waiting for you, and we look forward to hearing the pregame. Give him some hatred tomorrow night, would you? All right.

Let's try to come up with something. Come up with something. We'll react to it. We look forward to it. Good luck tomorrow night. Thank you, Sheldon. All right, guys. Always a pleasure. You got it. Sheldon Keefe.