Is Jon Cooper our weakest link?

[These Are The Days]

I'm curious... Assume we made the fewest possible changes but we get a piss and vinegar coach like Sullivan in Cooper's place. Maybe not actual Sullivan but you get it. Do you think the boys cower and fail because they are too soft or do you think they up the intensity and win because the coach wills it?

 

[Hoek]

We tried that exactly once and were promptly given a penalty.

Lol yep that horseshit call on Killorn after an insanely early whistle.

 

[Flat Ronnie]

When your team captain after the sweep comes out and says

"They had a well designed strategy that was well executed by the players who bought into it, and we had no answer for that"

Is that not the same thing that many of us have been saying, though much more politely? Cooper should be fired; he was brought up from the AHL because of JBB. He was brought into the AHL BY?

JBB... and who stands by Coop? JBB... the only one that can save this mess is? Yzerman - make him President of Hockey Ops, give him full control of everything - have him fire JBB, hire Jacques Lemaire with HUGE paycheck, FIRE Cooper.

Otherwise? JBB is an clown and we've got more of this coming up next year (minus Girardi, Strals, Cobie, Rutta who will be gone; Cally can't launch with that salary and no cup...)

As crappy as the players were, Stamkos included, he is not wrong on this. Its blatantly obvious. This is a passive aggressive dig at Coop.

Wouldn't be surprised if the team lost all confidence in that game two. That's on the players, but it's a hell of a critique of the coach.

 

[LightningStrikes]

So let’s talk alternatives. Let me say in advance there isn’t much out there (both actually available and possibly available):

Carlyle
Boughner
Hartley
Ruff
Eakins
Therrien
Nolan
Capuano
Gordon
Hitchcock
Weight
Martin
Hunter
Boucher
McGuire *barf*
Sandelin
Groulx

 

[Jakeybonz]

id take coop if you guys fired him if we didnt just get Q. coop led you to 62 wins. he cant be the problem. and if you had one more win last year you almost certainly wouldve won the cup. keep him.

 

[Flat Ronnie]

id take coop if you guys fired him if we didnt just get Q. coop led you to 62 wins. he cant be the problem. and if you had one more win last year you almost certainly wouldve won the cup. keep him.

Let's just say we were lucky to see game 7 against Washington. They DOMINATED us.

This is nothing new for Coop in the playoffs.

 

[DaBolts]

It's dinner time.

Why hasn't he been fired yet?

 

[ccman68]

Groulx would be pretty much perfect. If we seriously keep Cooper and let some other team take him I’m gonna be pretty mad.

 

[Flat Ronnie]

Groulx would be pretty much perfect. If we seriously keep Cooper and let some other team take him I’m gonna be pretty mad.

Why would he be perfect?

 

[Steazy Doo]

It's time to let someone else give this a try. Cooper had his shot.

 

[Crunchrulz]

Groulx would be pretty much perfect. If we seriously keep Cooper and let some other team take him I’m gonna be pretty mad.

That being typed, quietly hearing whispers in Syracuse about a West Coast team being interested in Groulx. Only rumors, but you might want to be ready to DUCK just in case.

 

[Nautica54]

I like Coop I really do. I think he was the right choice back in 13,14,15 etc for a young up and coming group and to help continue a lot of this teams development.

But what was good then doesn't mean it's good for 2019-2020. This isnt all to different than the Dungy situation. Dungy was exactly what the Bucs needed in 97-2000, but it was clear we needed a different mentality to take us to that next level.

I'm a cooper fan, I really am, and common sense tells u he will most likely be around next year...unfortunately he should not be but we got trigger happy with the extension and lost in a historic season a poor decision was made.

I will tell u one thing...if we start off 2019-2020 with any resemblance of what happened during this series, its going to get ugly. You can sense the players were getting worn thin with the gameplan, approach, and lack of a counter plan. Next season could go down in a hurry if things dont go well.

I truly think it's time to move on from coop, bring in a few new role type players and change the attitude of this team. It can no longer be the "well get them next time" attitude. This is our time, our prime.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

So let’s talk alternatives. Let me say in advance there isn’t much out there (both actually available and possibly available):

Carlyle
Boughner
Hartley
Ruff
Eakins
Therrien
Nolan
Capuano
Gordon
Hitchcock
Weight
Martin
Hunter
Boucher
McGuire *barf*
Sandelin
Groulx

I'd keep an eye on Benoit Groulx as the biggest threat to Coop. Right now he's about to take his Crunch, which were the #2 team in the AHL in wins & points, on their playoff run. This is his 3rd year in the organization and he's taken Syracuse to the 2nd round and the Finals in his other 2 seasons. But he's also coached a few of our players like Gourde, Cernak, Joseph, Erne, and Cirelli, and I'm sure a number of his current players will eventually make their way up. But maybe most importantly, like Coop, Groulx is a JBB hire.

 

[PJ817]

So let’s talk alternatives. Let me say in advance there isn’t much out there (both actually available and possibly available):

Carlyle
Boughner
Hartley
Ruff
Eakins
Therrien
Nolan
Capuano
Gordon
Hitchcock
Weight
Martin
Hunter
Boucher
McGuire *barf*
Sandelin
Groulx

Jacques FREAKING Lemaire - convince him with BIG $$$$$$$ to come out of retirement

 

[Todd1a]

I'd keep an eye on Benoit Groulx as the biggest threat to Coop. Right now he's about to take his Crunch, which were the #2 team in the AHL in wins & points, on their playoff run. This is his 3rd year in the organization and he's taken Syracuse to the 2nd round and the Finals in his other 2 seasons. But he's also coached a few of our players like Gourde, Cernak, Joseph, Erne, and Cirelli, and I'm sure a number of his current players will eventually make their way up. But maybe most importantly, like Coop, Groulx is a JBB hire.

This might be the year when someone snags him up in the nhl especially if he goes on a good playoff run. Right now Groulx or Richards would be he only two cooper replacements I want

 

[DFC]

Cooper was so bad he made Pardon The Interruption.

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/kornheiser-tortorella-out-coached-cooper-in-that-series~1662756

This is pretty much my opinion, right down to the "no adjustments" and the "but they won't fire him."

We're kind of handcuffed I think. Even if JBB wants to fire Coop, I can't see it happening. Maybe if the exit meetings reveal a loss of faith.

 

[Stormbreaker]

Cooper was so bad he made Pardon The Interruption.

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/kornheiser-tortorella-out-coached-cooper-in-that-series~1662756

This is pretty much my opinion, right down to the "no adjustments" and the "but they won't fire him."

We're kind of handcuffed I think. Even if JBB wants to fire Coop, I can't see it happening. Maybe if the exit meetings reveal a loss of faith.

The more I hear Cooper talk the more I want him outta here. These exit interviews are going to be very interesting.

 

[DFC]

The more I hear Cooper talk the more I want him outta here. These exit interviews are going to be very interesting.

Stamkos's quote was disturbing to me, if only because it validates what many of us said during the series. We had no answer.

I would like to see a new coach work with this group of players, or something close to this group, but I just don't see JBB pulling the trigger yet. I do think Coop's seat is red hot though.

 

[Flat Ronnie]

Stamkos's quote was disturbing to me, if only because it validates what many of us said during the series. We had no answer.

I would like to see a new coach work with this group of players, or something close to this group, but I just don't see JBB pulling the trigger yet. I do think Coop's seat is red hot though.

What does a red hot seat even mean in this case?

The team is talented enough to sleepwalk into the playoffs next year. So essentially hes gonna be judged again in the playoffs next year? So we are going to go the same rout in the playoffs next year and risk another year of age with this core? That sounds insane.

 

[Flat Ronnie]

This team has 1x 40x120 guy, 2x 40x90 guys, a Norris winner and a Vezina finalist.

If you cant win at least one cup with that you are the worst run franchise in the league.

BTW...ALL those players above had an awful series. Cant be a complete coincidence.

 

[Todd1a]

This team has 1x 40x120 guy, 2x 40x90 guys, a Norris winner and a Vezina finalist.

If you cant win at least one cup with that you are the worst run franchise in the league.

BTW...ALL those players above had an awful series. Cant be a complete coincidence.

What gets me is all of them were terrible? I agree in hockey you can’t be your best every day but they were all terrible

 

[Todd1a]

The more I hear Cooper talk the more I want him outta here. These exit interviews are going to be very interesting.

Why did they not do exit interviews today?

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

What does a red hot seat even mean in this case?

The team is talented enough to sleepwalk into the playoffs next year. So essentially hes gonna be judged again in the playoffs next year? So we are going to go the same rout in the playoffs next year and risk another year of age with this core? That sounds insane.

And I'm not saying DFC's assessment is wrong, though I hope it is. Because, as I said the last time he wrote that, if his seat is going to be that hot, and he's got an established track record of not being good enough come playoff time, then what are we really doing here? Because hoping the Lightning have a poor start to the regular season to give an "excuse" to fire him is pointless, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that, if you ever needed an obvious excuse to fire the head coach, how about after going from 128 points to swept in the first round? You have more selection for head coaches in the off-season than during the season, and you can get the new coach and his staff to implement their preferred structure and style of play as well (not to mention you can tailor the roster, as best you feasibly can, with the new staff in tow during the off-season than trying to force a new coach to work with a more-or-less set roster once the season begins).

To use the metaphor again - if Cooper is a band-aid in need of being taken off, just rip it f*cking off. Get it over with and move on. All the slow peel does is make you and everyone around you hearing your cries of agony miserable.

 

[Jakeybonz]

Let's just say we were lucky to see game 7 against Washington. They DOMINATED us.

This is nothing new for Coop in the playoffs.

and yet if they failed in the playoffs, they wouldve fired trotz. and even though he didnt stay, look what a mistake that wouldve been. i dont like judging things by playoffs in an age of nhl parity. give me 82 game sample sizes. and in those, coopers amazing. shit happens in the playoffs. you need a lot of luck. plus if the players cant get jacked up for the playoffs thats their fault. much harder to keep them interested in the reg. season and coop did that.

 

[Todd1a]

And I'm not saying DFC's assessment is wrong, though I hope it is. Because, as I said the last time he wrote that, if his seat is going to be that hot, and he's got an established track record of not being good enough come playoff time, then what are we really doing here? Because hoping the Lightning have a poor start to the regular season to give an "excuse" to fire him is pointless, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that, if you ever needed an obvious excuse to fire the head coach, how about after going from 128 points to swept in the first round? You have more selection for head coaches in the off-season than during the season, and you can get the new coach and his staff to implement their preferred structure and style of play as well (not to mention you can tailor the roster, as best you feasibly can, with the new staff in tow during the off-season than trying to force a new coach to work with a more-or-less set roster once the season begins).

To use the metaphor again - if Cooper is a band-aid in need of being taken off, just rip it f*cking off. Get it over with and move on. All the slow peel does is make you and everyone around you hearing your cries of agony miserable.

I think when they made the decision to sign cooper to a new contract they already decided it was for better or worse no matter the outcome of the playoffs. It still a cash flow business and I don’t seeing jeff vinik being cool firing a coach they just signed in March and paying cooper millions to sit at home and then pay another coach.