After the NHL Trade Deadline, it’s clear that the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs are heading in diametrically different directions. Tampa Bay is positioned as a leading candidate to win the Stanley Cup, sitting atop the Atlantic Division, while Toronto will almost certainly miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper offered his candid assessment of the Eastern Conference race, and the Maple Leafs’ season overall. Cooper drew upon his experience from the Lightning getting swept in the first round of the 2019 playoffs by the Columbus Blue Jackets, a seismic upset that may never be experienced on that scale again.

“This is as tough as a conference as I’ve ever seen it,” Cooper said, following the Lightning’s morning skate. “I’ve been in this league for a while. From top to bottom. Look for instance, when we played Columbus. Columbus beat us, but we were a massive, heavy favourite. You’ll never see that again. 1-8 again in the Eastern Conference, you’ll never see that because the teams are way too close. This is anybody’s game. It felt like in the West, there was an arms race yesterday when some of the top dogs made themselves better.”

Throughout Cooper’s tenure, the Lightning have established themselves as one of the NHL’s marquee teams, winning two Stanley Cups, while making four Final appearances under his tutelage. Cooper and the Lightning have squared off against the Maple Leafs in several playoff battles, and he reflected upon the Maple Leafs’ tumultuous season to date.

“They don’t have the fruits of the labour the way Florida does,” Cooper said. “It’s probably tougher for the Leafs to swallow in a way. When there’s roster change, it can affect things. I’m not here every day, so I don’t know, but all I haven’t beat the Maple Leafs in I don’t know how long. The Leafs are always hard for me, because I literally haven’t beat them in a year and a half.”

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