Lightning’s Julian BriseBois shuts down Jon Cooper-Utah buzz

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Florida Panthers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It is the third consecutive year the Bolts have been eliminated in the first round. That led to speculation that the Lightning could part ways with coach John Cooper, especially considering his Utah Hockey Club connections. Bolts GM Julian BriseBois shut that down on Friday.

“Coop will be back next year,” BriseBois said, per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. He also added that he hopes to keep Cooper for the long term. His contract runs through the end of next season. “BriseBois praised their decade-plus working partnership and said that he expected it ‘to go on for many years to come, regardless of how many years he’s got left on his contract,'” Wyshynski wrote.

Cooper is friendly with Utah Hockey Club and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith. Even though Andre Tourigny’s contract runs through 2027, bringing in the two-time Stanley Cup Champion is enticing. Smith has previously spoken about Cooper positively and set up a mentorship between Cooper and Jazz head coach Will Hardy.

Cooper spoke about the potential of leaving the Lightning. “It’s hard to see myself anywhere else. Tampa’s been home. For my kids, it’s the only city they remember. I’ve never been a part of any other organization. If there’s an organization better than this one, I want to see it.”

The Lightning built a contender over years with Cooper at the helm. Nikita Kucherov has blossomed into a superstar, Viktor Hedman should be on the way to the Hall of Fame, and Jake Guentzel has been a great addition. The biggest problem for the Lightning has been Andrei Vasilevskiy’s playoff performance. In the last three years, he has an .882 save percentage in 16 games.

You can take Jon Cooper off your team’s coach candidates list.