Report: Senators receive permission to interview Rick Bowness

The Ottawa Senators are interested in reuniting with an old flame.

The Sens have received permission to interview Dallas Stars assistant coach Rick Bowness for the team's head coaching vacancy, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

Hiring Bowness would bring the organization full circle, as he was the first head coach in the franchise's history. He compiled a 39-178-18 record before he was fired in his fourth season during the Senators' forgettable infancy years.

The 64-year-old has been coaching since the mid-80s. His long resume also includes stops as the bench boss of the original Winnipeg Jets (1988-89), as well as with the Boston Bruins (1991-92), New York Islanders (1996-98), and Phoenix Coyotes (2003-04).

Before joining the Stars this past season, Bowness spent five campaigns on the Tampa Bay Lightning's coaching staff and seven seasons as an assistant with the Vancouver Canucks.

Bowness will mark the sixth coaching candidate Ottawa has interviewed, according to McKenzie. Interim head coach Marc Crawford and Belleville Senators bench boss Troy Mann represent two internal candidates. Another one of the club's former coaches, Jacques Martin, has also been interviewed, as well as Toronto Maple Leafs assistant D.J. Smith and Providence College head coach Nate Leaman.

Ottawa finished last in the NHL with 64 points this season. In the midst of a rebuild, the Senators made it clear after Guy Boucher's dismissal that they're seeking someone with player development expertise.