Jon Cooper Throws Former Assistant Under the Bus for Leaking Sensitive Information
Many regard Andrei Vasilevskiy as the best goaltender in hockey. Many would even consider him infallible. Former Lightning assistant coach Derek Lalonde doesn't!
Lalonde Reveals Vasilevskiy's Weakness
Before he was behind the bench as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, Derek Lalonde served as assistant coach to Jon Cooper in Tampa Bay.
Lalonde is a very bright guy, and to try and maximize then young goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, he did a study to determine his weaknesses.
What he discovered is that Vasy has trouble saving shots from the blueline.
With the Red Wings having missed the playoffs, Lalonde joined HNIC's panel. His analysis has been great, and many have enjoyed it. When he shared Vasilevskiy's weakness on air, a lot of people were shocked. Especially Lightning head coach John Cooper.
"Sportsnet pays him good money to give his opinion, so he has to make something up about that kind of stuff." - Jon Cooper
It's safe to say there's some bad blood between Cooper and Lalonde now. But, clearly the latter's analysis has proved relevant, as the Maple Leafs appear to have cracked Vasilevskiy's code.
As Read on HockeyLatest - Cooper takes a swipe at his former assistant at the Lightning
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 26 | 373 ANSWERS Jon Cooper Throws Former Assistant Under the Bus for Leaking Sensitive Information Do you think Vasilevskiy is the best goalie in hockey? | ||
| Yes | 137 | 36.7 % |
| No | 236 | 63.3 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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LIVE
APRIL 27, 2026
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Elmer Soderblom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Anthony Mantha | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Parker Wotherspoon | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noel Acciari | - | - | - | |
| Emil Andrae | - | - | - | |
| Denver Barkey | - | - | - | |
| Alex Bump | - | - | - | |
| Noah Cates | - | - | - | |
| Yegor Chinakhov | - | - | - | |
| Sean Couturier | - | - | - | |
| Sidney Crosby | - | - | - | |
| Connor Dewar | - | - | - | |
| Jamie Drysdale | - | - | - | |
| Christian Dvorak | - | - | - | |
| Tyson Foerster | - | - | - | |
| Samuel Girard | - | - | - | |
| Luke Glendening | - | - | - | |
| Garnet Hathaway | - | - | - | |
| Erik Karlsson | - | - | - | |
| Benjamin Kindel | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||