Lightning head coach Jon Cooper to return next season, says GM
The Tampa Bay Lightning will not make a change behind the bench. General manager Julien BriseBois told reporters on Friday that head coach Jon Cooper will be back next season.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will not make a change behind the bench.
General manager Julien BriseBois told reporters on Friday that head coach Jon Cooper will be back next season.
The Lightning lost their first-round series to the Florida Panthers in five games, marking another early exit for the three-time Stanley Cup Champions.
Meanwhile, questions about Cooper’s status emerged after Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported that the longtime coach could leave Tampa Bay to take the reins in Utah.
Cooper, who led Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, is believed to be under contract with the Lightning through next season, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It appears now that he will at least see that through.
“Tampa’s been my home,” Cooper said Friday while speaking to reporters. “For my kids, it’s the only city they really remember… For me, it’s hard to see myself being anywhere else.”
Tampa Bay finished second in the Atlantic Division but has been unable to get past the first round of the playoffs since its last title in 2022.
Under Cooper, the team has made the playoffs in 11 of the last 12 seasons, including eight straight. Cooper led the Lightning to three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances, winning back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021.
