標籤: Keefe

Sheldon Keefe is safe, but Sunny Mehta is cleaning house. He is serious about improving the New Jersey Devils.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Devils announced that goaltending coach Dave Rogalski has been relieved of his duties.

Additionally, assistant coach Sergei Brylin will take on a new role within the organization.

According to a team source, Braylin will no longer be in a coaching role.

The search for replacements for those roles has begun.

Keefe will return for his third season as head coach with the Devils in 2026–27. Over the course of two seasons, he is 84-70-10. The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to miss the postseason for the first time since a disappointing 2025-26 season.

Keefe described missing the postseason as “embarrassing” in his year-end press conference.

Rogalski moving on shouldn’t be a surprise. In fact, it was long pending.

The Devils signed Jacob Markstrom to a two-year extension in October to secure their crease. However, Markstrom regressed in 2025–26, recording his worst statistical season to date.

In 44 games, Markstrom recorded an .883 save percentage and was 88th out of 98 goaltenders in goals saved above expectation (-11.9).

Braylin began working as a team consultant for the Albany Devils in the New Jersey organization during the 2012–13 season. He was immediately promoted to assistant coach the following season and then became an assistant coach for New Jersey in 2022–23.

Braylin’s role moving forward has not yet been determined.

Rogalski has been in the NHL since 2017-18. He moved from St. Louis to New Jersey in the 2020–21 season. He transitioned from a development coach to a goaltending coach and has been in his role ever since.

There will be no other changes to the Devils’ coaching staff. For the time being, Brad Shaw and Jeremy Colliton will continue in their roles alongside Keefe.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

Will the New Jersey Devils need a new head coach at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season? A shocking firing this weekend has now made the head coach a hot name on the free agency market, one that could certainly tempt general manager Tom Fitzgerald.

The Vegas Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy on Sunday despite the team’s playoff position and his longtime success with the organization. In a shocking turn of events he is replaced by John Tortorella.

In his Vegas tenure, Cassidy has boasted an incredible 178–99–43 record (fifth most in that span), 24 playoff wins (fourth most), two Pacific Division titles and one Stanley Cup.

It’s easy to see why Cassidy might only be unemployed for a short period of time.

However, the season is not over, and the Devils still employ Sheldon Keefe.

How long will this continue? It’s really anyone’s guess, but Fitzgerald revealed at the height of the New Jersey clashes in January that he and Keef are “in lockstep,” and despite fan opinion, there’s no reason to believe Fitzgerald’s in the hot seat.

Still, in a situation where the Devils decide to move on from Keefe, is Cassidy the Devils’ best option?

On the surface, his Vegas resume is certainly attractive. However, zooming the lens a little more may prove otherwise.

In Vegas, Cassidy relied on an elite defensive blueline and strong goaltending en route to winning the Stanley Cup. They didn’t have a lot of elite talent other than Jack Eichel and 60% Mark Stone.

Add in the fact that Cassidy’s style runs counter to New Jersey’s strengths, you can imagine the Devils could look similar for the majority of 2025-26.

Cassidy’s system is generally simple. Chip pucks behind the defense, win puck battles, and try for goals. The defense, meanwhile, relies on goaltending to outscore the opposition – although that has been a struggle for Vegas this season.

However, the Devils are a high speed and skill team that thrives on hustle.

Just look at how the Devils have performed this season. In the first 17 games when Jack Hughes was healthy, New Jersey compiled a 12–4–1 record and played a more open style. After Jack’s injury in November, the system took off on itself, becoming less about speed and skill and more about defensive structure. Like Vegas, New Jersey’s goaltending—particularly Jacob Markstrom—did not hold up.

Still, after the Olympic break, the Devils’ system has reopened. This was due to Jack’s return to form as his arm is back to 100%. Keefe also noted after Sunday’s 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks that Luke Hughes’ improved play in the latter half of the year is another obvious factor.

“Since coming back from the Olympic break, we’ve been focusing a lot on our game on sprinting and things like that,” Keefe said. “I looked at it the other day and one of the things that drives the game in the crowd is the controlled entries and the momentum coming from the neutral zone. Jack leads our team by a country mile on individual entries since the Olympic break, and indeed that will be the case throughout the season. But Jack is also perfect in assisting others in moving the game from the crowd and controlled entries.

“Luke is there too. [Jack] And Luke is on another level than everyone else. That’s a statistical way of looking at it. What those guys can bring in terms of getting our offense moving, and when we get both of them healthy and feeling good, we look pretty much like we are, OK, there’s a lot of focus on how we’ve improved offensively here over these 16 games. Go back and look at the previous 17 games when Jack got hurt, and it looks pretty much the same.”

Hiring Cassidy would continue the move away from who the Devils are. In fact, credit goes to Keefe where it’s due. He has brought them back to that style of play.

Maybe it’s too late, but they’re at it again, and it’s clearly working with 10 wins in their last 14 games.

So, will Cassidy be an upgrade behind the bench in New Jersey? Maybe on paper. However, it’s very possible that Keefe is doing enough to save his job at the end of the season.

After all, he’s not wrong when he says that when we look at the Devils’ performance before Jack’s injury in November and after the Olympic break. Everything in between was injury-related chaos that may not impact Keefe.

We’ll see what the offseason brings, but proceed with caution with Cassidy. In fact, don’t be surprised if the current Devils regime gets its last blow in 2026-27.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

Washington DC – The Washington Wizards lost 122-112 at home to the Utah Jazz on Thursday, but it was a perfect night for the franchise. Between star guard Trae Young’s Wizards debut, tank standings and rookie big man Julian “JuJu” Reese’s historic outing, there was a lot to like.

Head coach Brian Keefe spoke openly about Young’s on-court leadership after the game.

“People love it, they generate energy and confidence for their teammates,” he said. “There’s an energy he plays with, the unselfishness he plays with, that thing is contagious. You can feel it with our passing. He’s a scorer too, but his unselfishness… that’s the thing I really believe is contagious. The ball was moving around well and I was really happy with that.”

According to Keefe, eight of Washington’s 10 players dished out multiple assists and eight scored in double figures. The only one who didn’t do so was guard Jaden Hardy, who recorded four points (1-7 FG, 1-4 3-point) with one assist in 11 minutes.

Young finished with 12 points (4-9 FG, 1-5 3-point) with six assists, two rebounds and two steals in 19 minutes, but the excitement he brought to Capital One Arena couldn’t be measured by the box score. The 27-year-old, many among the 17,689 fans, was left screaming for his first bucket, a behind the back fake pass Another drive, another three, and more highlights.

Try Young Wizards Debut Highlights

12 points – 6 assists (19 minutes) 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dkrxtygMwK

– WizardsMuse (@WizardsMuse1) 6 March 2026

Young is on a minutes restriction as he recovers from knee and quad injuries that limited him to just 10 games played for the Atlanta Hawks this season before being traded to the Wizards on Jan. 7, but Thursday still showed why the latter team acquired him. The four-time All-Star’s ability to get to the rim and create open looks for teammates has been foreign to Washington since the John Wall era, outside of Russell Westbrook’s tenure with the team in 2020-21. Instead of a committee approach at point guard, the squad finally has an engine.

Along with big men Alex Sarr (hamstring) and Anthony Davis (finger), Young primarily set up the other guards for three-point attempts. The former All-NBA honoree assisted two-way forward Leakey Black, third-year guard Bilal Quibly, rookie guard Trey Johnson (twice), and second-year guard Bub Carrington on long-range buckets. Overall, he was responsible for 29 points.

At the same time, the Wizards still lost to the Jazz, who were without starters such as forward Lauri Markkanen (hip), forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee), and guard Keyonte George (ankle). This gives them more relief to tank in the standings, as they have the fourth-worst record (16-46) while Utah is fifth-worst (19-44). Washington would have to finish with a bottom-four record this summer to be guaranteed to retain their top-eight protected lottery selection.

Plus, the team is now just one game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers, who are tied for second-worst. Finishing second worst would guarantee selection in the top six, while finishing third worst would guarantee selection in the top seven, and so on.

For now, Wizards fans can enjoy finally having a star player in the lineup again before the franchise focuses on winning games next season and beyond.

JuJu Reese makes the most of Wizards’ opportunities

With Davis out since the beginning of January, Washington did not have much depth after sending Marvin Bagley to the Dallas Mavericks in the Davis deal on February 4. Sir has not played since a 132-101 loss to the Miami Heat on Feb. 8, and backup seven-footer Tristan Vukcevic (thigh) has not played since a 134-125 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.

Enter Reese. The Wizards signed the Baltimore native to a two-way contract on Saturday and thrust him into the starting center role for Monday’s 123-118 home loss to the Houston Rockets, his NBA debut. He started again in a 126-109 loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday and had 18 points (5-7 FG), 20 rebounds (10 offensive), two assists and a block in 38 minutes on Thursday. His rebounds were the most by any rookie this season and the most by any Washington rookie since Tom Gugliotta (20) against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 29, 1993. Additionally, her sister Angel Reese was the youngest WNBA player to record more than 18 points and more than 10 offensive rebounds in a game last season, and she is the youngest NBA player to do so this season.

JuJu told ClutchPoints his impressions of the Wizards organization after the game.

I asked JuJu Reese his first impressions of the Wizards:

“Great team, great organization. Great for developing guys. A lot of guys have come here who are good players and make a lot of money, they told me that right away. Just try to maximize your talent…” pic.twitter.com/oPz6sJp3gh

-Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) 6 March 2026

“Great team, great organization. Great for developing guys,” the former Maryland Terrapin said. “There are a lot of people who come here who are good players and make a lot of money, they told me that right away. Just try to maximize your talent…”

Since general manager Will Dawkins and president Michael Winger took over in 2023, Washington’s development program has built a foundation of young talent led by Sarr, second-year wing Kishawn George (UCL), Johnson, Coulibaly and Carrington. Reese will need more than one historic game against another tanking team to be a part of that long-term group, but if he continues to perform like this he’ll give the front office something to think about.

Next up for the Wizards is a road date with the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.

Head coach Brian Keefe is excited about Trae Young’s debut with the Washington Wizards in Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz.

Keefe discussed who stands out According to Ben Strober of Locked On Wizards, he raved about Young’s play before the guard’s Wizards debut.

Keefe said, “I’ve played against him for many years. This guy makes other guys better. We see his own scoring ability, his ability to draw free throws, his ability to get into the paint.” “I think his best skill has always been his passing.”

Keefe was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder during the first two seasons of Young’s NBA career. Keefe also coached against Young for an additional two seasons during his time with the Brooklyn Nets before joining the Wizards’ coaching staff in 2023.

“This guy makes other people better…his best skill has always been his demise.”

Wizards head coach Brian Keefe meets with Trae Young ahead of his debut tonight

(via @strobersports)pic.twitter.com/xWOYYRd6dC

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 5 March 2026

Young will make his Wizards home debut in Thursday’s matchup.

Trae Young is set to make his Wizards debut

After nearly upsetting the Rockets in a 123–118 loss, the Wizards’ third-year guard Bilal Koulibaly led the way with 23 points on 9-16 shooting, including five threes. Wizards fans are excited to see Young paired with Koulibaly before his debut against the Jazz on Thursday.

According to Joshua Valdez of ClutchPoints, Koulibaly recently talked about the reason for his offensive streak for the Wizards.

“Just getting more reps, getting out there more,” Coulibaly said. “Finding my rhythm, and yeah, just my thing.”

Bilal Coulibaly scored a season-high 23 points tonight and went 5 of 7 from deep. His shot has improved significantly recently, and he attributes it to getting more reps and finding his rhythm. The oft-injured guard has been in the lineup consistently since late January, having… pic.twitter.com/EbxySnQcwl

-Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) 3 March 2026

Koulibaly scored a season-high 23 points in the Wizards’ 123–118 win against the Rockets. He is averaging 10.4 points on 41.3% shooting, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season.