Report: Senators intend to interview Leafs assistant D.J. Smith for HC job

The Ottawa Senators' coaching search will reportedly include a candidate employed by their provincial rivals.

It's the Senators' intention to interview Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach D.J. Smith for their head coaching position within the next couple of weeks, according to The Athletic's Chris Stevenson, who adds that Marc Crawford, Troy Mann, Jacques Martin, and Nate Leaman will also be considered.

The Senators have received permission to talk to Smith about the position, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on "Saturday Headlines."

Smith has been a Leafs assistant since 2015, and has long been viewed in hockey circles as a future NHL head coach.

Crawford took over as the Senators' interim bench boss after the club fired Guy Boucher on March 1. Mann is the current coach of the Belleville Senators, Ottawa's AHL affiliate.

Martin is an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was Ottawa's head coach for parts of nine seasons from 1995-96 to 2003-04. Leaman is currently the bench boss at Providence College.