Jon Cooper talk puts unexpected pressure on Jim Hiller before his first Maple Leafs season

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was recently mentioned by Jeff Marek in an episode of The Sheet as someone who could someday be interested in coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Of course, Cooper is still committed to the Lightning, while the Leafs have a head coach in Jim Hiller. Despite this, Marek still believes Cooper would embrace the challenge that Toronto provides.

-

I know the Maple Leafs have a new coach in Jim Hiller, this is probably unfair, but I do think that Jon Cooper is of the mind that, that's a real challenge that he would embrace

Toronto would be a natural destination for Cooper as they provide one of the best challenges in the league. A team with a dedicated fanbase that hasn't won a Stanley Cup in almost 60 years. For a two-time Stanley Cup winner like Jon Cooper, this is exactly the kind of scenario you'd love to walk into.

The more interesting angle is what Marek's comment could mean later. Hiller has not coached a game for Toronto yet and was hired with clear backing from John Chayka, but Cooper is the kind of name that could quickly enter the conversation if the Leafs underperform.

Jon Cooper would represent the one coaching opportunity Toronto could not easily ignore

Marek's comment is not evidence that Cooper is preparing to leave Tampa Bay. In May, Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said Cooper would be with the organization “for a while” and confirmed that the coaching staff was expected back for 2026-27.

Instead, Marek is simply speaking to Cooper's mindset as a coach. He believes that Cooper is someone who enjoys new challenges and can embrace difficult circumstances.

If Cooper were to go to Toronto, numerous things would need to happen. The Lightning would either need to fire him, or he would need to leave. Subsequently, the Leafs would need to get rid of Jim Hiller, and they would only do that if they had a reason to.

That said, Cooper is different than your typical coaching candidate. He has won two Stanley Cups and made it to a third. Furthermore, he has coached elite talents like Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, which would bode well for Auston Matthews and Gavin McKenna. Furthermore, he has playoff credibility, which the Leafs are in desperate need of.

He's not just another name that gets passed around the league. Instead, he is the kind of guy that stops you in your tracks, and makes you reevaluate your team. That said, Matthews, McKenna, the Canadian market, and championship aspirations make the Leafs an attractive destination. If Cooper ever became available while Toronto was underperforming, his résumé would inevitably make him part of the public conversation. That still would not mean Chayka was ready to move on from Hiller.

Jim Hiller now enters Year 1 with a potential replacement narrative already hanging over him

With this replacement narrative hanging over his head, Hiller will be looking to show the hockey world that he can take this Leafs team from out of the depths of the Atlantic Division and into contender conversations.

Hiller hasn't even gotten a chance to show what he can do. He has not failed, and he has not succeeded. General Manager John Chayka has no reason to consider anyone else.

Marek's comments create a storyline around Hiller before his first season has even started, but there is no evidence Toronto's front office is treating Cooper as an alternative. If the Leafs get off to a slow start, the Cooper speculation could grow immediately. On the flip side, if the Lightning struggle, then that story gets a whole lot louder.

However, Hiller can shut all of this down by succeeding. At that point, it no longer becomes a conversation. For now, Cooper is a hypothetical, not a Maple Leafs candidate. The significance for Hiller is simpler: Toronto is a market where one difficult stretch can create coaching speculation quickly, and Cooper's championship résumé gives that speculation an unusually credible name if circumstances ever change.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Gavin McKenna ranks behind several players the Maple Leafs passed on at No. 1