Whose job is it to assess why things go wrong? Constructing a coherent critique in the midst of disappointment is the inescapable duty of the Lightning power brokers. After last year’s devastating first-round playoff exit, the authors of Tampa Bay’s fate were very clear in their assessment of the team: They need to learn how to forecheck and play a more physical style. Staying out of the penalty box is paramount. The Lightning need to reconsider how they control the puck and their responsibilities when playing without it.

Up until the middle of March, the Bolts largely met these goals. They reconfigured their style of play to be more conducive to the postseason. They still committed a lot of penalties, but they were more disciplined in how they played with and without the puck. But the Eastern Conference is fearsome. It is not hyperbolic to suggest that a half dozen teams could advance to the final from the East bracket.

The present respite has thrown normalcy off-kilter, but if the Lightning falter, how Tampa Bay reconciles that setback will inform next season’s squad. The most obvious casualties would be the ejection of high-priced role players. But the most interesting change would be a new coach.

Jon Cooper is very good at his job. He is justifiably rewarded for his continued success by being the most tenured coach in the NHL. But while his winning percentage in the regular season is unassailable, the lack of a recent Cup trip for Tampa Bay blotches his resume.

The Lightning very easily could have captured the Cup in 2015 against the Blackhawks. But they failed, and the franchise has not reached those heights since. Last year’s postseason accelerated the reckoning nearly every coach in professional sports faces. Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella badly outwitted Cooper, and Cooper was painfully slow to adjust. Despite exuding calm, Cooper failed to steady his jittery team and had no answer for the Blue Jackets’ adjustments on special teams or when they eliminated the rush in the neutral zone. After a historic regular season, the Lightning were exposed as one-dimensional. That criticism is applicable to both players and coaches.

That was then and now is now. The Lightning ostensibly have too much talent to stumble early, but the pandemic has thrust us into uncharted waters. It was another high-achieving regular season, but certain questions could rear their head and will call into question Cooper’s efficacy in commandeering his players.

Nikita Kucherov is the Lightning’s best player, but he has shown he has selective hearing with Cooper, leading to a flashpoint where Kucherov was benched in the third period of a December game after a costly turnover.



In games following the benching, Kucherov periodically still tried to dangle through players when he was high in the offensive zone. As great a forward as he is, such high-risk hijinks can lead to a pratfall that the Bolts simply cannot afford in the playoffs. Cooper is a players’ coach, but the freedom he grants his players was costly when he needed to get stern in the Columbus series.

Cooper’s voice seems to have fallen on deaf ears in other ways. The Lightning excel at creating their own shots, yet forgo great scoring chances by trying to make an extra pass. Brayden Point is the most notable culprit, but this habit is unsustainable in the postseason. A “choosy” mentality is emblematic of the Lightning’s attitude last season, which they failed to modulate when the games started mattering.

There is also the issue of how the Lightning seem incapable of taking less trips to the penalty box. The series against the Blue Jackets was an object lesson in escalation. The Bolts were frustrated with their lack of control, countering the Blue Jackets’ aggression with petty infractions that led to costly penalties. Cooper failed to rein in his team.

It is somewhat foolish to assign too much agency to coaches; after all, they never touch the puck. But it is hard to watch the St. Louis Blues completely rewrite their narrative under Craig Berube and not think of the NHL coach as fitting within the lens of a standard bureaucratic management job. Employees don’t want to be micro-managed, but they might want feedback and guidance. Cooper’s biggest issue is that he trusts the level of talent so much that he can skimp on the latter.

Should Tampa Bay lose in the first or second round, it may force the hands of the front office to have a new voice in the room despite the extension Cooper was given last season. It is notable that the Bruins, Capitals, and Penguins have all sailed to the Cup final during the last several playoffs and the latter two have collected rings. In their best years, the Lightning have found themselves positioned as the final Eastern Conference opponent to defeat before reaching the Cup.

What if the Bolts lose in heartbreaking fashion in the conference finals? The decision makers above Cooper should be weighing all options, and the course these playoffs take should greatly influence their opinion. A possible new suit behind the bench is the uncomfortable specter looming over this postseason. How things play out will be riveting.

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