Stars GM confirms Bowness will be permanent head coach

The Dallas Stars will drop the interim tag and make Rick Bowness the club's next permanent head coach, general manager Jim Nill confirmed Thursday, according to The Athletic's Sean Shapiro.

Bowness replaced Jim Montgomery as the Stars bench boss in December and coached the team to a strong second half of the season before leading them on a run to the Stanley Cup Final in September.

The Stars went 20-13-5 during the regular season under Bowness and ranked fourth in goals-against per game at 2.63.

The 65-year-old needs a new contract, but Nill doesn't expect any issues with getting a deal done, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Bowness began his coaching career as an assistant with the Winnipeg Jets in 1984-85. The longtime bench boss hasn't served as a permanent head coach since he was with the New York Islanders in 1997-98.