Keefe Braces for Devils' Offseason, Focuses on Finishing Strong

0:00It's April 8th. This is NHL News today, your AI-powered team coverage. Sheldon Keith, head coach of the New Jersey Devils, wants to stick around beyond the season and keep building on the vision set by the recently fired. General manager Tom Fitzgerald, but he's bracing for an evaluation after the year ends, especially with the team on the playoff bubble. Fitzgerald had been with the devil since July 24th, 2015, starting as assistant GM, then taking over as full-time GM in July 2020. He built a solid core, including stars like Jack Hughes and Nico Hissier, and led the team to franchise records with 52 wins and 100. 12 points in 2022, 23. Keith, who Fitzgerald hired last May 23rd, got the devils into the playoffs in his first year with a 42 win, 33 loss, 7. Over time loss record. Now, players are owning the slump, saying they let Fitzgerald down.

1:00Captain Hissier called the disappointing but understands the business, while Hughes admitted it's frustrating since they're the ones on the ice. The devil started hot at 13 wins, four losses, one overtime loss, but hit a brutal 15 win 25 loss, one overtime loss skid from November 18th to February 26th. Even with a 12 win 5 loss, one overtime loss pushed lately, their one regulation lost from missing playoffs, if Ottawa grabs a point against. Tampa tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern, ownership sees this as a critical off season, promising to nail the next GM higher. Keith's drawing parallels to his Toronto firing last May, but he's locked in on finishing strong, no matter what comes next for the devil's rebuild.