The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Sheldon Keefe

Episode Date: October 28, 2025

Marek breaks down Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and the Devils’ electric eight-game winning streak, while head coach Sheldon Keefe joins the show to discuss Jake Allen’s calm presence, elite special teams, and the evolution of a top-nine forward group that’s driving New Jersey’s early-season dominance.SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!👍🏼 Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/👍🏼Bauer: https://www.bauer.com/👍🏼Shark Ninja: https://www.sharkninja.ca/ninja-crispi-4-in-1-portable-glass-air-fryer-cooking-system/FN101CGY.html?utm_source=Better+Collective&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=H2+Air+Fryer&utm_content=EN👍🏼Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/ca👍🏼Prime Video: https://primevideo-row.pxf.io/c/5560083/3303015/20020Reach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Flames_Nation🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And with that, we'll default to the coach of the hottest team in the NHL. They are the New Jersey Devils. Sheldon Keefe is handling things behind the bench for the Devils. Once again, this season, he joins me now. Sheldon, first of all, thanks for taking time today. And congratulations on the early success. It's all coaching, right? Oh, as we know, there's lots more to goz into that.

And we've been really lucky. You know, the guys have gotten off to a good start here. Our special teams and our goaltending have been. outstanding and that's carried us through lots. And then we've had some great individual efforts along the way. So, you know, all that stuff has helped us here while we continue to button up our structure and all that, those sorts of things. You mentioned the goaltending.

And I was wondering about this, too. Like some coaches, as you know, are sort of hands off with the goalie. You know, goleys are voodoo. You handle the goalie. I'll handle everybody else. Jake Allen has been phenomenal for the New Jersey Devils. and so was Nico Dawes but Jake Allen has really turned heads

he's always kind of been the goalie's goalie you know whenever he's done with the game it's going to be still doing goalie camps maybe he'll be a goalie instructor but he's like the goalie lifer in the NHL do you have a thought or two on the veteran who is a Stanley Cup champion himself Jake Allen

well just I mean you kind of covered it there covered it there he's he's so dialed in on his own game in his own preparation yet he's got incredible leadership qualities to help the entire team and individual players on the ice off the ice so a great luxury for me to have as a coach and I said all that without even talking about the fact that he keeps the puck out of the net and seems to simplify the game for for his teammates when he's in there so he's he's been great We're very lucky here between he and Jacob Markstrom to have two veteran guys that, you know,

I would say just get it in lots of, lots of different ways. And they, you know, they help drive things. It's very unique to have two veteran guys like that that are just to have such great leadership qualities to match their skill level on the ice. Eight wins in a row. Jack Hughes looks great. Jesper Bratt looks fantastic. You know, we're seeing, you know, some of the best of Timel Meyer, Oh, he sure is always, and always should be in the conversation for the Selke

trophy. Dustin Mercer, welcome back. Connor Brown with five goals. When you look at your top nine, Sheldon, specifically, what does the coach see? Well, you mentioned a lot of the names. I think we've come to know and expect there. You know, I think, you know, the Arseni Gritsuk is a name that I think has really, really helped that group, you know, come together.

And in Cody Glass, for that matter, is injured right now. We've been playing without them for the last few games. But, you know, that line of Gritsick, Glass, and Brown had given us a third line that had been very productive, but also playing against other teams, you know, top players at different times, which, you know, with Nico Heeshru, who takes on a lot of those matchups as well, that really allowed me to use Jack Hughes and his line freely and get some favorable matchups. And that really seemed to help get their game going. And now we've got, you know, as you mentioned, we've got three lines going really well. And with Glasses' injury, we've used Mercer in the middle here recently,

and Gritsuk moved up to play with Nico. So we just got great depth, and that's really shown early on here. You've got lots of hockey to play, of course. And, you know, it seems, unfortunately, every game we play, we seem to be losing a guy to injury and such. But the depth has certainly helped us. Off the devil's page for one second I was talking about this before you came on

Every night there's big hits It seems as if you know Physicality has re-entered the NHL We saw it last year We're seeing it again this year Whether it's Wilson on Hins from the weekend Whether it's Taylor Hall on Ruppah Hins Whether it's the Heedle hit last week

Last Sunday in the Vancouver Washington game I wonder about about players. Like, you've got kids that play hockey. I've got kids that play hockey too. And I always tell them, be prepared on every time you're out there, expect that you're going to be hit.

And if you get hit, you'll be prepared. But if you don't get hit, that's a bonus. Do you find that perhaps now, like there's been a whole generation where everything's about speed and skill, speed and skill, that players are still understanding or preparing themselves to be hit every play?

Or is the default setting still for a lot of guys, I'm not going to get hit while I'm out here. You know, well, it's a great question. I do think, you know, of course, there's far more speed and skill-oriented players that are entering the league and playing high-level competitive hockey than there are, you know, bruising physical players that are going to drive through you. I still think, as you just alluded to, with some of those names that are still in the NHL and there'll be more to come, you know, that are going to run through you.

each time you got to be aware of these guys and I think defensively you try to you try to teach your guys to be physical and get players stopped as much as you can so as a coach you're always emphasizing the physicality I think it's just such a vital tool to be able to utilize in our game defensively especially to get people stopped you just you got to be aware but yeah it's interesting you know I've got I've got two two boys playing and ones in his first year contact here this year and my older guy a couple years older has been through it a little bit. And I still see, you know, more than enough big hits out there, you know, players have to manage that and be aware of that.

Constantly got to still be coaching it, I think, whether it's live on the bench or through video, just, you know, be aware of your surroundings, be conscious of where you bring the puck and where the contact may come and don't be surprised if it does arrive. In my case, both my boys played lacrosse before. getting into contact hockey, I think all those sorts of things, you know, allows you to play with your head up and be conscious of your surroundings. But, yeah, I think it's, I don't think it's ever going to disappear fully.

So you got to make sure we're still reinforcing this. And I think a lot of the, you know, best skills coaches and things out there are very conscious of these things. And I always have those defenders and such on the ice that are going to, you know, make you have to keep your head up and be mindful of how you control a puck. can use your body to protect it. Let me get a quick question from the chat here. Walt 619, what do you attribute to Pallat's resurgence? He's playing physical again and is engaged and on that Hughes Brat line. You know, it was years ago, I would look at Andre Pallat and go like, he's like Marion Hosa Light.

That's kind of how I see Andre Pallat. What do you attribute this resurgence to Andre Pallat? Yeah. You know what, Jeff? I mean, I struggle with. the word resurgence when it comes to Palli, I think he's pretty consistent in who he is. You know, as he's gotten older here, he's had to, you know, really lean in more on his play off the puck and forechecking and earning puck's back and being around the net and all those

kind of things that just so happen to be things that, you know, the Hughes and Brat pairing can really benefit from. So that's why I think the line works and he works, you know, all the way back to our end and the way he tracks and a lot of the things he does off the puck benefit our team and his linemates on the puck. And I felt the same last season. So I don't look at this necessarily as a resurgence. It's early in the season here, first of all. I mean, we're making any sort of proclamations about any one player or any team at this stage. It's a little bit, you know, preliminary to do such a thing. But, you know, we've been happy with how Pally's fit. He didn't start on that line early on.

through training camp and such. But then we lost Guinea Dadoff early in the season. And we put Pali back in that spot, and the line just hasn't missed a beat. Maybe the answer to this is Nico Hescher, since he does so much. But who would you say your most versatile player is right now? Like when you mentioned Andre Pallat,

like that's when I think back to the Tampa days, it's like he could play anywhere up and down the lineup. But who's your most versatile guy right now? Well, yeah, I mean, Nico's an easy. answer is he does so many things he touches the game in so many ways but of course he is a center and you know he he does so many things as a center he's great defensively he takes on all the heavy matchups and he also generates offense and scores himself but but when i think about versatility a lot

of times i'm thinking more about the wingers that can move around and play different spots and you know i look at dawson mercer as a guy right now as i mentioned you know we had an injury to cody glass and a lot. We needed a center. And Mersh was able to step in there as he did last year in the playoffs. We didn't have Jack Hughes. We needed Mersh to play center. And we think he's a better winger. He thinks he's a better winger. He feels a lot more comfortable there. But what needed, we got to put him there. So I look at him. I look at, you know, Connor Brown, I think, is a guy who's new to our team here, not necessarily new to me. It's my time with him in the Marley's, which made such a great impression on me. And I followed his career.

closely so we're lucky to have him now but he another guy that he takes he can take on defensive responsibilities play low in your lineup but i think he's got a good enough skill set and head about him to play with you know top players if needed um so you know those guys come to mind uh for me we've you know certainly gritsuka this guy is everything that we've given him left wing right wing bottom lines you know fourth line third line second line uh power play like he's done it all here in the early going for a guy coming home from the KHL. It's still learning not just the game, but the language. I've been so impressed with him.

So that gives me great options as a coach. Let me close with something that I asked Spencer Carberry on the show, actually exactly a week ago. I asked him, what are, like, what is a non-negotiable that you have for your players? And his answer was, I'm paraphrasing here, something along the lines of, for all of our forwards, it doesn't matter who you are, first line, second, line, third line, fourth line. The non-negotiable is you have to be willing to go to the front of the net.

You need to go to the danger areas. You need to do that or you can't play here. Sheldon, what are some of or one of the non-negotiables that you have for players? I know everyone's different. So this guy can play like this, that guy can play like that. But like, what is a Sheldon Keith non-negotiable? Well, I mean, that's a good one for carbs there for sure on the offensive. side of it. For me, if I had to just give you one thing, it's everything that happens without the

puck. I mean, the defensive structure is, you know, whether, no matter where you play or in the lineup or who you are, it's adhering to that. So the big thing I would say is how we come back to our net and how we protect our net. That's so vital. You get a little more offensive leeway for different players, you know, on the other side of it. And they're going to make their reads. But defensively, when we don't have the puck, every single player has to be accountable to our structure and protecting our net. And that's, I would say that's the top one, is to help keep it out. Your team's hot.

Your team's a lot of fun to watch. Winners of eight in a row. Good luck tomorrow against the Avalanche. Shelton, thanks so much for this. You got it, Jeff. Thank you. Good luck to the boys, too. Good luck to the boys.

months I can't get out my head lost all ambitions day to day because you can call it all right I went to the dark man trying to give me a little medicine I'm like now and that's fine I'm not against those methods but new it's me and myself and how this is going to be fixed in my mind I turned on the bracket, I turned on the music. I do want to back it, I turn it on the music. It's turned up, yep, bad, and I don't get you sometimes losing. Have been on the days that we're wrong.