 Nearing the end of a dismal 18–26–4 season for 40 points, in which the Lightning ended fourth in the Southeast and 14th in the East, GM Steve Yzerman looked to their highly-successful American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.On March 25, 2013, head coach Guy Boucher was dismissed for following a 7–16–1 record.The Lightning announced Jon Cooper would become the eighth head coach in franchise history.