"I thought Devils wanted to win": NHL fans react to Sheldon Keefe's reported hiring as next New Jersey Devils head coach 

NHL fans on social media reacted to the news of the rumored appointment of Sheldon Keefe as the new head coach of the New Jersey Devils.

The Toronto Maple Leafs decided to part ways with Keefe after a first-round playoff exit against the Boston Bruins. He has reportedly been hired as the new head coach for the Devils, another club in the Eastern Conference.

The development comes just less than two weeks after Keefe was let go by the Leafs. Several outlets confirmed the hiring news late on Wednesday, with TSN's Darren Dreger reporting that Keefe is expected to sign a four-year deal.

It will also cover the two remaining years owned to him by the Maple Leafs on his previous contract.

NHL fans quickly took to X/Twitter to share their opinions on the reports of Sheldon Keefe's potential hiring as the new coach of the Devils.

One fan tweeted:

"I thought the @NJDevils wanted to win…"

Another fan chimed in with their opinion and called it good hiring by the New Jersey Devils:

"Congrats Keefe, hope you have a great career in New Jersey! Devils fans, he is a good coach, it's a good hire."

"Here comes Sheldon, blue look in his eye Keefe's won nothing, but full of pride Look at him go, look at him kick Makes you wonder how Maple Leafs fans live Devil inside, Jersey Devil inside Every single one of us, Jersey Devil inside," one X user wrote.

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

One fan congratulated and opined that he is the right choice to take the Devils in a new direction:

"Congrats Keefe. You were not the problem with Toronto. You are going to lead the devils to great things."

"Makes sense, another offence only team. Good fit for him but ya same results are going to happen," another wrote.

"That's exciting news! Sheldon Keefe has shown great potential and leadership. Looking forward to seeing how he shapes the team and what the New Jersey Devils achieve under his guidance. All the best to him in this new role!" one fan commented.

Keefe is expected to be officially introduced as the new head coach of the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

Sheldon Keefe excited to be new Devils coach

It's worth noting that the New Jersey Devils have not officially announced the hiring of Keefe just yet, and he himself has also not made any comments on the reports. However, according to the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons, Keefe has expressed excitement for his new role.

Sheldon Keefe was named the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019 and led the team for five seasons. During his tenure, the Leafs reached the playoffs every season but only advanced to the second round once in the previous year's playoffs.

Keefe achieved an overall record of 212-97-40, resulting in a .622 points percentage with the Leafs. On the other hand, the New Jersey Devils relieved Lindy Ruff of his duties during the 2023-24 season after the team failed to reach the playoffs following their second-round appearance in the previous post-season.