The Winnipeg Jets are finalizing a deal to name Rick Bowness as their new head coach, TSN reported Friday.
The Jets reportedly were pursuing Barry Trotz for their coaching vacancy before turning their attention to Bowness, who stepped down as head coach of the Dallas Stars on May 20.
Interim coach Dave Lowry took over the Jets in December after coach Paul Maurice resigned 28 games into the season with a 13-10-5 record.
In 54 games as head coach, Lowry posted a 26-22-6 mark, and the Jets fell out of the Stanley Cup playoff picture after three appearances in the past four years.
Bowness, 67, has been behind an NHL bench for a record 2,562 regular-season games as a head coach or an assistant.
He guided the Stars to a wild-card spot in the Western Conference this past season. Dallas, however, fell in seven games to the Calgary Flames in the first round.
Bowness owns a 212-351-28 record with 48 ties during his head coaching stints with the Jets (1988-89), Boston Bruins (1991-92), Ottawa Senators (1992-96), New York Islanders (1996-98), then-Phoenix Coyotes (2003-04) and Stars (2019-22). He also served in assistant coaching roles with those teams as well as the Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning.
–Field Level Media