The Tampa Bay Lightning are making changes behind the bench. The team announced today that Rick Bowness has been relieved of his duties as assistant coach, while Brad Lauer has “mutually agreed to part ways” according to Frank Seravalli of TSN.
The Lightning ended up losing a heartbreaking series against the Washington Capitals, and are likely re-evaluating their entire organization. Bowness has been with the club for five seasons but will now have to look for new employment. That likely won’t take long, as he has been in a coaching position somewhere around the NHL for over three decades and holds the record for most games coached. He was the experienced hand for head coach Jon Cooper, who came into the role with little experience.
There is a chance that Bowness could even find himself in head coaching interviews over the next few weeks if opportunities arise, as he’s held the role multiple times before and—as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet points out—was a finalist for a job as recently as 2016 with the Anaheim Ducks. There are also several openings at the AHL level, but for a coach who hasn’t worked in the minor leagues since 1991, that is likely off the table.
Lauer was the Tampa Bay “eye in the sky” this season, and had previously worked with the Ducks and Ottawa Senators in various positions. He could also be considered a candidate for the vacant AHL jobs, though he hasn’t held a head coaching position to this point.