Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper shares his thoughts on the Maple Leafs

With multiple Stanley Cup championships and a couple of Jack Adams trophies under his belt, Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning is one of the most decorated NHL head coaches. As such, it's usually a good idea to listen to Cooper when he speaks.

Cooper recently said that the Toronto Maple Leafs are ready for a run while talking about the Eastern Conference as a whole. In the same chat, he also talked about how the Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning are so close in the Eastern Conference that a single bounce may have a huge effect on your season.

The Panthers are the best team in the East for the second straight season and are in contention to win the Stanley Cup, depending on how they play against their opponent from the Western Conference, whom they are currently awaiting. Then there are the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins and Lightning seem to always be there fighting regardless of their player personnel circumstances.

Although Cooper is certain that the Maple Leafs will succeed, some insiders have forecast in the last year that the team could win a Stanley Cup in the next few years based only on the core players they currently have and a few promising young players.