Vasilevskiy just publicly turned on Cooper and the Leafs should remove him from any coaching consideration
Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images; Tampa Bay Lightning
Andre Vasilevskiy refused to back Jon Cooper which is a bad sign, especially if the Toronto Maple Leafs were hoping to lure him over to their side of the fence.
As the Tampa Bay Lightning held their end of season exit interviews after a stunning Game 7 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. It was a somber atmosphere to say the least; with several players unsure of where things stand.
One player who was incensed with how the season turned out was Lightning netminder Andre Vasilevskiy. You can't blame him though, as he played lights out and kept the series as close as possible - nothing out of the ordinary for the star goalie.
Vasilevskiy publicly contradicted Cooper's quote and a star goalie that fed up means the locker room is done
But it was actually something his head coach said that absolutely set him off, as Vasilevskiy refused to buy into an excuses.
Cooper made a comment regarding the luck aspect of the game, more synonymously known as the hockey gods; and Vasi was having none of it:
I feel like that's the excuse for the last three years. It's a broken record. We have to man up here. We all have to do our jobs. Me, I have to make saves. Defense, have to block shots, kill penalties. Offense, they should score goals. We all have to do our jobs.
For context, Cooper's quote stated that while he has been the beneficiary of some bounces in the past, it was not meant to be this year:
The hockey gods have been in my corner many, many times. Tonight they were in the other one.
While it's a poetic statement, this is the fourth straight first-round exit for Tampa Bay and it's brought into question Cooper's fit. We saw Mike Sullivan get dumped from Pittsburgh after a decade so who's to say that Tampa won't also want to create a change as well.
Cooper is on the Leafs coaching shortlist and Vasilevskiy just made the strongest case against him
But if he is indeed gone, then he is going to be the absolute premium target on the market. For a team like the Maple Leafs, they would love to get their hands on their rival's coach and allow him to guide the team.
Though, that may not be a great idea if the Maple Leafs are trying to improve their culture. Toronto already has trouble winning, so adding a coach who still can't make it out of the first round despite having every advantage is an odd choice.
Cooper holds a career 622-332-89 record (.639 win %) with two Stanley Cups and four Conference Championships. But he hasn't advanced past the first round since 2021-22 and have only won four games out of 16 over the past four years:
4-2 Loss (TOR)
4-1 Loss (FLA)
4-1 Loss (FLA)
4-3 Loss (MTL)
4-1 Loss (FLA)
4-1 Loss (FLA)
4-3 Loss (MTL)
When the star goaltender says enough is enough, you pay attention. What if Cooper were to come in to Toronto and we get Auston Matthews saying the same thing next year? If it's another excuse or passing the buck onto some non-existent corporeal being - you're just going backwards.
Without transparency, Cooper is not going to be the right fit for Toronto. Given that he's leaving everything up to fate then perhaps it's best to let another team try their luck instead.
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