Devils coach Sheldon Keefe ready for anticipated game against Maple Leafs

New Jersey Devils coach Sheldon Keefe doesn't have to wait long to see some familiar faces on the opposite end of the ice.

Keefe was hired by New Jersey in late May only two weeks after he had been let go by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Devils started their season this past weekend with the Global Series against the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, Czechia, but guess who they'll host for their home opener on Thursday?

"I don’t even know," Keefe said with a smile Tuesday on The FAN Hockey Show. "The Leafs are coming in and it’s a great chance. Let's get right at it here."

The Maple Leafs parted ways with Keefe following the team's first-round playoff exit in seven games against the Boston Bruins.

Keefe coached the team for parts of five seasons and finished with a 212-97-40 record. However, he went 16-21 in the playoffs with just one series win.

The 44-year-old Keefe said he was "very much uncertain" what he was going to do after he was fired.

"I was sitting there with two years remaining on my contract and, of course, had been through a lot in Toronto. I learned a lot but had thought it could also be beneficial to take some time," he said. "I was in a little bit of a transition there, saying I could invest in myself and my own personal development, invest in my family, and then figure out over time what comes next.

"I took my wife to lunch about an hour after being let go and the meeting with (Leafs GM) Brad Trevling and we were talking through some of those scenarios, how it would take some time and we’ll figure it out. A number of the most experienced coaches in the league had reached out and given me their thoughts and taking time was the prevailing thought."

The more Keefe spent talking with the Devils and general manager Tom Fitzgerald, the more convinced he became that it was the right move on all levels.

Expectations are high for New Jersey after missing the playoffs last season. The team fired Lindy Ruff in March and associate coach Travis Green, now behind the bench with the Ottawa Senators, filled in on an interim basis for the remainder of the year.

Keefe said he's excited to be in a place that has high expectations, though, and it's something that goes back to his days with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, OHL's Soo Greyhounds and even where his coaching career got its start, with the Pembroke Lumber Kings in Junior A.

"That was just everything I know," Keefe said. "I am a competitor at my root and to come to a place that has high expectations means that we have good people and good players, but as a coach it’s your job to keep things in perspective and recognize we’ve got lots of work to do as a group."