Jon Cooper Isn't Going Anywhere

Julien BriseBois isn't looking to move on from the NHL's longest tenured coach

Mar 7, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper enjoys a light moment on the bench during a time out against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

When looking at coaching decisions, it's important to stay grounded, and remember the success that is being sustained, even if the Championship goal isn't reached. If the Lightning were to fire Jon Cooper, he would have a ten year deal tomorrow, suggesting Tampa to move on from him, was a silly, emotional response to Tampa's game seven loss.

And for anyone that thought it was a possibility, Tampa's General Manager Julien BriseBois is here to tell you that it's not happening.

Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois, asked this morning about Jon Cooper’s contract status:

“He’s going to be here for a while.”

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 5, 2026

The Resume

The head coach of team Canada, the coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning for 14 seasons, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, and the NHL's longest tenured head coach. Jon Cooper is so highly respected in the hockey world, and he's earned the right to say when he's done in Tampa --barring unforeseen circumstances.

If the Bolts fired Cooper, half the league would dump their current coach for him.

It's Still Okay to Criticize

While Cooper is putting together a Hall of Fame resume, it's still okay to criticize and question his decisions. It's not only the natural thing to do, but it's the reasonable thing to do. Tampa has been a first round exit for four straight seasons and has no home ice advantage in the playoffs (2 wins at home in their last 14 playoff games).

As the case was in the Olympics, the structure and coaching of the games went exactly how Jon Cooper wanted to, in every aspect but the scoreboard. The offensive pressure, the shots on goal, the defensive pressure, the discipline, it was all there, but the score.

You can question using Sabourin late in the game early in the series, you can ask why the lines weren't mixed up more, and you could question the offensive strategy to try and make things harder on Dobes. But in the end, Tampa was still in the dance.

Jon Cooper on the similarities between the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2–1 Game 7 loss to the Montreal Canadiens and losing 2–1 with Team Canada in the 2026 Olympic gold medal game to the United States:

"As soon as that last buzzer went, that's the feeling I had. I've seen this movie… pic.twitter.com/jd12Q8vASJ

— Sam Len (@SamLenSports) May 4, 2026

Cooper had this to say:

"As soon as that last buzzer went, that's the feeling I had. I've seen this movie before, and it happened in Milan in February, and all you can ask for your team, whether it was the Olympic tournament or best-of-seven playoff, is to get better as you go. And I thought we got better as we went, and I thought tonight we played our best game of the series. Sometimes you win the game and not the score, and when it's Game 7, there's no moral victory in that.”

- Jon Cooper

The Lightning would be silly to move on from Cooper. He has a record of 622-332-89 after arriving part way through the 2012-13 season, The Lightning have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs 11 of his 12 full seasons, and Tampa has been to four Stanley Cups, winning two.

The personnel in Tampa can improve, and so can their presence in the playoffs and on the special teams, but moving on from Cooper would be a mistake.

And it's not one General Manager Julien BriseBois is looking to make.

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