“Is this series close? It’s really close. That’s what makes this Battle of Florida so much fun, because it is two extremely competitive teams that play a great brand of hockey. That’s why you get these tight games,” Jon Cooper said after his team’s 4-2 loss in Game 4 to the Florida Panthers. But with the sword of elimination hanging over their necks ahead of game 5, the Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t quite experiencing the Stanley Cup Playoffs they had hoped for. They’re down 3 games to 1, and to make things worse, their playoff hopes aren’t the only concern for the Lightning at the moment.

With game 5 coming up in a few hours, there’s a lot of pressure on the Lightning to pull off a win and force a game 6. Getting knocked out in Round 1 would really sting not just for the club, but also for the many NHL fans who predicted Tampa Bay would take down Florida and shatter their hopes for a second Stanley Cup win in a row. But even if the Lightning live to fight another day, the recent news about coach Jon Cooper might put a damper on things.

On X, Hall of Famer Larry Brooks shared, “A fair amount of chatter about Jon Cooper, who signed a one-year extension a year ago to take him through 25-26. One year seems odd… Plugged-in individual has told me not to be surprised if he leaves TB to take over the operation in Utah, owned by close friend Ryan Smith.”

Is Cooper heading to the Utah Hockey Club? Looks like this one is going to leave a lot of fans scratching their heads. Cooper has been with the Lightning for 12 years now, and during that time, he’s led them to two Stanley Cup victories. He’s also the NHL’s longest-tenured head coach, and his departure will undoubtedly leave a big void for the Lightning to fill.

Brooks mentioned that it’s pretty unusual for a coach like Cooper to sign such a short extension, which might have been an early hint about his future plans. It’s interesting to note that Cooper is friends with Ryan Smith, who owns both the Utah NHL team and the NBA’s Utah Jazz. That definitely adds another layer to the speculation.

Smith has been a vocal admirer of Cooper for some time. “One of my favorites is Jon Cooper,” Smith told The Athletic last year. “He’s like Ted Lasso.” In fact, Smith even sought out Cooper to give the Jazz’s Will Hardy tips on motivating his players.

“I like his [Cooper’s] detail in leadership. So any time you can get coaches to communicate, it’s pretty awesome,” Smith said. “They text each other, and it’s a cool mentorship.”

Smith has mentioned that he wants to bring in trusted people from hockey to help run the new club, and he clearly has a good relationship with Cooper. And after 12 years behind the Lightning bench, Cooper might also be looking for a fresh challenge. And what better challenge than a recently formed expansion team? But before Jon Cooper can start thinking about a potential move to Utah, there’s a game 5 left to play.

Problems for Jon Cooper ahead of the decisive matchup

Just when it seemed like the Tampa Bay Lightning might face a tough Round 1 exit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, things got even trickier for Game 5. Jon Cooper’s squad will be without forward Brandon Hagel on the roster.  “He’s not playing tomorrow. There it is, and you know why,” Cooper said pointedly during a presser.

Hagel got hurt after taking a high hit from Aaron Ekblad. Halfway through the second period, Hagel was working the puck along the boards when Ekblad came in with an elbow that caught Hagel right in the head. This knocked him down, and he ended up hitting his head on the ice. Hagel had to leave the game because of  concussion protocol and missed the remainder of the game.

Even though the hit didn’t get called during the game, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety took a look at it afterward and ended up suspending Ekblad for two games. We’ll just have to wait and see how the Lightning do in this important Game 5 without Hagel.