Stars' Nill suggests Bowness will return as head coach next season

Dallas Stars interim head coach Rick Bowness is on the verge of being rewarded for his success.

The team's permanent head coaching job is there for the taking if Bowness wants it, general manager Jim Nill said Saturday.

"He's earned it," Nill told Sporstnet's Elliotte Friedman. "And I hope that down the road he wants to be the head coach."

Bowness took over for Jim Montgomery on an interim basis in December and has held the title ever since. Nill had previously stated they wouldn't discuss Bowness' future with the team until the offseason.

However, Bowness' success makes the promotion an easy decision. The veteran coach led the team to a 20-13-5 record during the regular season. Including the round robin, the Stars have gone 11-8 in the postseason entering Saturday's Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.

If Bowness indeed takes the promotion, it'll be his first permanent head coaching job in the NHL since he was with the New York Islanders in 1997-98.

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