Sheldon Keefe A Top Candidate As 2 Key Head Coach Interviews Taking Place on Monday

We could be a couple of huge steps closer to two sought-after head coaching vacancies being filled after a couple of very important interviews on Monday.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs bench boss Sheldon Keefe has now emerged as the leading candidate for the New Jersey Devils and will interview with GM Tom Fitzgerald today, while Todd McLellan, also a candidate for the Devils, will interview with the Leafs' brass today.

Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman reported on his 32 Thoughts podcast this morning that Keefe seems to have moved to the front of the line in New Jersey, ahead of McClellan and Craig Bérubé.

"Keefe has a legit chance at this if he wants it," says Friedman.

As I wrote on @FullPressNHL there was a time that Berube was the guy for the Devils but as Friedman notes things have changed. With Keefe on the market you have to think it comes down to him and Woodcroft. #njdevils

More Here: https://t.co/4jA0MdMiTp https://t.co/HbXOT6hFHf
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) May 13, 2024

There was a time I thought that Bérubé was going to have an offer to coach the Devils; I'm not as certain about that now.
The Devils were serious about Berube, they were serious about Jay Woodcroft, (and) I am under the impression that Todd McClellan was going to get another interview with them. But I had some people saying to me this weekend, that they think that Sheldon Keefe is a big factor in this job.

The Devils asked for, and received permission last week from the Leafs to speak to Keefe, and the word from insider David Pagnotta is that they had their eye on the five-year Toronto bench boss even before the playoffs began. New Jersey let their interim head coach Travis Green go last week, to accept the head job with the Ottawa Senators.

Berube is also thought to be a leading contender for the Leafs' job.