Devils hire Keefe

[Willie Dog]

If they don't play scared... at least Keefe will have some semblance of a D corps

[jkr]

Still no goalie. 😀


I would have taken the 2 years owed me & keep the Leafs on the hook - but that's just me.

[folatre]

Not a bad landing spot for Keefe. The Devils were a playoff team in 2022-23 and there are some nice pieces there to work with. In contrast, clocking in with the Sharks would be an incredibly arduous slog.

I believe the negotiation to sign him necessarily involved the Leafs. My understanding is the two clubs would come to an agreement on how much Keefe's current contract (2024-26) New Jersey would pay. For example, if Toronto was due to pay him $3 million USD per season, the two clubs could agree that that Devils pay $2 million per for the initial two seasons. In other words, I would be surprised if the Leafs got off the hook entirely. After all, they are a big market club and they gave Keefe the contract, so taking an ultra-hard line on the situation with Keefe post-firing would seem kind of pointless.

[jkr]

I appreciate the explanation. When these type of hiring happen I assumed that the former team would be off the hook comp,merely.