Tampa Bay Head Coach Jon Cooper is the longest-serving coach in the NHL, having joined the Lightning in March 2013. In January, the two-time Stanley Cup champion became the third-fastest coach to reach 500 wins, and the quickest to do so with one franchise. Despite four consecutive first-round playoff exits leading to murmurs from dissatisfied fans, the team has a response for those advocating for a coaching change behind the Bolts' bench: "Coop" isn't going anywhere.

Tampa Bay Lightning Forward Nikita Kucherov has been in this position before: Leading the NHL in several scoring categories, only to have his performance fall short in the playoffs. After another first-round elimination, this time at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens, Kucherov spent this week answering his critics while not commenting on the possibility of returning to the team after his contract expires in 2027.