Four-straight first-round exits make for ugly reading, especially for a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had big names marbled through the roster. Andriy Vasilevskiy, Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, Jake Guentzel, and Brayden Point all suited up for the Bolts, but advancing past the Montreal Canadiens proved to be a tall order for a stacked roster.
Those four first-round exits weigh heavy in Tampa Bay, with questions being asked of head coach Jon Cooper, and if he’s the right man to lead this franchise to the holy grail of hockey.
Tampa Bay Lightning GM Addresses Jon Cooper’s Job Security With Oilers Rumored to be Interested
Top-tier coaches are hard to come by in a league that has been reluctant to give fresh-faced candidates a shot. That said, this was a relatively impressive year for a few first-year head coaches, primarily Dan Muse of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who took an aging roster to the playoffs.
With such a dearth of coaching candidates, speculation linked the ousted Edmonton Oilers with Jon Cooper in the immediate aftermath of the Bolts’ exit from the playoffs. The Oil, however, will have to be content with Kris Knoblauch for the moment.
Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois was asked if Cooper’s job was safe after four straight first-round exits. BriseBois did not hesitate for a second, saying, “Yeah, he’s here for a long time.”
Julien BriseBois says he expects the full #GoBolts coaching staff to return next season.
When asked about Cooper: “He’s here for a long time.”
— Benjamin Pierce (@BenjaminJReport) May 5, 2026
BriseBois added, “It feels very disappointing and like a missed opportunity for a very good hockey team that won 50 games this year. This is a very good hockey team but our failure to move past the first round of the playoffs is going to overshadow all of that. That is just the reality.”
After being eliminated by the Canadiens in a tight Game 7 where Tampa Bay allowed just nine shots on goal, Cooper said, “It’s not the movies. It’s not something where you can retake it and get the scene right. It’s live theater right there in front of you, and you never know what’s gonna happen. That’s why it’s unbelievable to be a part of something like this, but it damn well stings when you’re on the wrong side of it.”
Cooper said that he had absolutely no complaints with the team, but made it a point to say that he felt this iteration of the Bolts was different.
The Lightning no doubt missed the services of team captain Victor Hedman, who missed the entire series. Hedman made a statement to the media on Tuesday morning, revealing that he was struggling with his mental health and made a decision to sit out the series.
In any case, it appears Oilers fans will have their hearts broken this summer. Eyebrows were raised after the Lightning beat the Oilers in the regular season earlier this year and Connor McDavid waxed lyrical about how well-coached Tampa Bay was. That immediately led to speculation that McDavid wanted to team up with Cooper in Edmonton to try and capture some of that Team Canada magic for the Oil.
DON’T MISS: ‘Jon Cooper Should Be Fired’: Oilers Fans Throw a Hail Mary to Get Kris Knoblauch Out and TB Lightning HC In
For now, however, it remains to be seen if Kris Knoblauch loses his job. Per NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the Oilers brass will have an internal review of Knoblauch’s job security this week. Cooper, meanwhile, will another crack at it by running it back.
