Jon Cooper's future in Tampa Bay has been unclear in recent times, but now, he has made his stance firm on remaining loyal to the Lightning organization.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were once again eliminated in the first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025, and that's raised plenty of questions about their core group and the future of the organization.
That has included Head Coach Jon Cooper as well, with Larry Brooks of the New York Post among others reporting that Cooper could look to leave the Lightning once his current contract officially runs out.
Cooper's current deal is over after the 2025/26 campaign, and given that he's very close friends with Utah Mammoth owner Ryan Smith, it's no surprise that they're the team he's already been closely linked too, with many reporters and analysts seeing it as a matter of when, not if that happens.
As a result of all this speculation, Cooper has now come out and committed to the Lightning for years to come, and while he's not made it official with a contract extension, he was very clear with his wording.
Contrary to rumours and whatever's going on out there, I'm never leaving you guys.
While coaches and players can often say things like this and still end up leaving, Cooper has been in Tampa Bay with the Lightning for well over a decade now, and given the success and how comfortable everyone is with the current situation, it would make sense for them to continue this relationship.
For now, Cooper's contract runs through to the end of the 2025/26 season, and while he's pledged his loyalty to the organization for now, it's only at the end of next year that we will find out his true intentions as he may be the best Head Coach to hit the open market in a long, long time.
