The Lightning suddenly have an opening on their coaching staff after assistant Jeff Blashill was hired to become the new head coach of the Blackhawks on Thursday. Blashill was a trusted member of Jon Cooper’s staff the past three seasons,

General Manager Kyle Davidson announced today that Jeff Blashill has been named the 42nd head coach in franchise history. Blashill joins the organization after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Blashill, 51, spent the past three seasons as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Before that, he spent seven seasons as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings from 2015-22.