The Toronto Maple Leafs head to New Jersey for their second game of the season, looking to take down the 2-0 New Jersey Devils, and former head coach Sheldon Keefe. Keefe is off to a great start with his new club, winning twice in Czechia during the NHL’s Global Series, taking his coaching record in Europe to 4-0.

Keefe, 44, spent five years behind the Maple Leafs’ bench, which was quite the task for someone who had never coached in the NHL before. He was fired on May 9, and quickly became one of the top free-agent coaches available. Several teams reached out, and ultimately he landed in New Jersey, set to coach a young, up-and-coming roster with a lot to learn.

Ahead of the highly anticipated matchup against his former club, Keefe caught up recently with ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, and clarified what types of lessons he’d bring from coaching in the media circus in Toronto, for a Leafs’ club that barely scratched the surface on their expectations.

“I started in what many would describe as the most difficult and challenging environment in the league — and many coaches in this league have reminded me of that,” Keefe said. “I leave there forever disappointed in myself that I wasn’t able to help push that team over the line. But I know I’m a better coach, and a better person, having gone through it.”

Keefe’s record-breaking regular season statistics are something to be proud about, but like he’s mentioned above, with only one playoff series win in five seasons, with that much talent, changes are inevitable.

The Devils didn’t waste any time scooping up their new coach, and so far, just two games into the new season and set for their home opener, you can already tell what kind of impact Keefe’s had in New Jersey’s dressing room. Dougie Hamilton mentioned to Wyshynski how impressed he is with Keefe’s communication style, which could be a breath of fresh air, after playing for an old-school coach in Lindy Ruff.

“I think he’s been great so far, just with how he speaks and what he is trying to teach us and how he’s trying to teach us,” Hamilton said. “There’s a message and it’s very direct.”

Keefe learned a ton with his time in Toronto, especially around making lineup changes and listening to the uproar from the media afterwards. He looks to apply these lessons in New Jersey and perhaps, provide a shorter leash to some of their bubble players.

“The tolerance for the same types of mistakes that are happening is going to be a lot less,” he said. “It’s on me as a coach to guide the conversation of what’s acceptable, what’s not, what’s cool and what’s not,”

While much like Toronto, Keefe has a leadership group in New Jersey, who are well respected in the room and can certainly motivate, or patrol the team when needed. It’s a philosophy he’s stuck to in the past, and one that he plans on instilling with the Devils, this season and beyond.

“It’s integral in building a successful team to have players that are accountable to themselves and ultimately have the group hold one another accountable,” he said.

“The more veterans who come in with different experiences, I think that can really help the group. Where teams really grow is when the coach leaves the room,” Keefe stated. “That’s really what it’s about. We all respond better to peer pressure than anything else.”

Keefe and the Devils have lofty expectations on their shoulders this season, as they’ve re-tooled in net, bringing in Jacob Markstrom, and added some sandpaper throughout their lineup. After admitting he’ll be forever disappointed with how things played out with the Leafs, we wait to see how things shake up in his first season behind the bench in Jersey.