For a team that’s only five days into its off-season, the Ottawa Senators aren’t wasting any time preparing for next season. On Monday, GM Steve Staios signed RFA defenceman Nik Matinpalo to a two-year extension. On Tuesday, according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, the team parted company with associate GM Ryan Bowness. Ryan Bowness at the 2024 NHL Draft (Ottawa Senators on YouTube) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d284078c-0668-4cf3-bba7-f8e1a77b317b.png] Ryan Bowness at the 2024 NHL Draft (Ottawa Senators on YouTube) Bowness was originally hired in the summer of 2022, so he was one of the few holdovers from the team’s previous regime. He avoided the axe that fell on the jobs of his boss, GM Pierre Dorion, along with head coach D.J. Smith, assistants Davis Payne and Jack Capuano, the media relations staff, and several others. According to Garrioch’s report, this decision was a mutual parting of the ways. For the record, that’s also how the team framed Dorion’s exit. Bowness was also the GM of the Belleville Senators. Garrioch indicates that Dave Poulin, the club’s senior vice-president of hockey ops, will replace Bowness at the AHL board of governors meeting this week, and expects that director of player personnel Rob DiMaio, a Staios hire, may take over Bowness' job as Sens' associate GM. Prior to his hiring in Ottawa, Bowness served as director of pro scouting for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and his move here was more than just a professional opportunity—it was personal. As the son of Rick Bowness, the Senators' first head coach in the early '90s, Ryan was able to return to the team and town that both factored into a lot of his childhood and hockey memories. Sens goalie Linus Ullmark meets the media and talks about his first season in Ottawa (Senators on YouTube) Ryan began his NHL front office career with the Thrashers in Atlanta, where his dad began his NHL playing career with the Flames in the 1970s. The Senators have not issued an official statement on Bowness' status, but given his resumé and reputation, Bowness likely won’t be without opportunities for very long. Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa [http://thn.com/Ottawa]
