'I can't wait to get going': Rick Bowness is amped for camp, new season

Rick Bowness has been on an NHL bench as a head coach or assistant coach since 1983 and was named Stars head coach in December of 2019. He has a 43-32-19 record in that run and helped the Stars to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, posting a 15-12 record in the playoffs. "Bones" recently took the time to talk with Senior Staff Writer Mike Heika about the free agent additions Dallas has made to its roster.

What's the process like with the coaching staff after you add this many players?
Bowness: We've had Zoom calls because we're in a lot of different locations right now, but we've had all sorts of communications. We've talked about all the new players and we're all on the same page. We've called other coaches and tried to get as much information as we can on all the players and then we just talk like we normally do.
Do you already start talking about strengths and weaknesses and what you need to do with each player?
Bowness: A little bit of that, but more this is what we signed him to do and where is he going to fit into our team. We know the players and their strengths, and we know our team, so it's figuring out a role. But honestly, until you get to see a guy every day, you don't know everything about them, and that's just part of the process of growing as a team. We always talk about chemistry and chemistry is hard to define. Chemistry is easy to see and feel when you're on the ice or in the room. In theory, some of these pieces should fit together, but it doesn't always work that way. This is hockey and these are human beings, so we need to see it and feel it and then we'll be better able to make some decisions. These are all good signing for us, and they give us good options, but we have to sort it out in training camp.
Do you have any initial thoughts right now on a player like Ryan Suter?
Bowness: His calmness, he reads the play well, and then he has the ability to stay a step ahead because of the way he reads the play. I think that'll be a big influence on our team. He's rarely out of position and he rarely makes a mistake.

Do you have a vision of the minutes he might play?
Bowness: Clearly, he's in our top four. Does he play with John [Klingberg] or does he play with Miro [Heiskanen]? You sort that out. It's the same with the rest of our defensemen. We don't know [Jani] Hakanpaa, so we need to see a lot of him in camp. [Andreas] Borgman and [Alexander] Petrovic, we need to get to know them as well. That'll go a long way in determining how it fits together. We have a very talented group of defensemen, and now we need to sort out how to best to use them.
How important is it to get a right-handed defenseman in Hakanpaa?
Bowness: I think that's a great move. We do need another right-handed shot back there. I've said many times that when you have a righty-lefty, the puck moves better, and it's easier for a righty to clear a puck out of that corner than a lefty, so there are advantages there. Miro is an exception because he can play either. He has the vision, and he has the skill. There are some defensemen who are adamant they don't want to play the off-side, but Miro is fine with it and he's good at it.
How do you sort out the forward group with the return of Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov?
Bowness: We'll go to camp, and we'll try a lot of options. The only line I really have fixed in my head is the Robo-Hintz-Pavs [Jason Robertson-Roope Hintz-Joe Pavelski] line. After that, you start looking at duos and then try to see who the third guy could be on a line. Last year, we had Jamie [Benn] with Denis [Gurianov]. Do we go back to that? Should we have Seggy with Rads? So, who fits in with that? Jamie gives us the luxury of playing left wing or center. I know we would love to have him at center, but is that what works best? Tyler can play right wing or center. How do we make that work? That's why camp is so important.

How do you look at the checking line? Is that the third line or is that the fourth line?
Bowness: I don't like to label it 1, 2, 3, 4. I like to make sure the lines are getting the right amount of minutes. That changes from game to game, but you definitely want to make sure you're using each player to get the most out of him. With Faksy [Radek Faksa], we play him when another team clearly has a No. 1 offensive line, or we use him when we want to get a forecheck going and get the physical play back in, so those are all things we consider. [Luke] Glendening can play right wing or center, so that gives us flexibility there, as well. We just have to try a lot of different options
How do you generate more offense with your forward group?
Bowness: We go back and say our analytics show we're creating chances and we need to finish better. To get players like Seggy and Rads back, that'll help. And then on defense, we should be even better at getting the puck out and making the first pass with Suter back there, so that should help. The faster the puck moves, the harder you are to play against.
How do you sort out the goaltending?
Bowness: We won't have any answers until we get to camp. Ben [Bishop] is working out with [Stars goaltending coach] Jeff Reese and we'll see where he is. We're all waiting to see that. [Braden] Holtby, we just have to see where he's at, as well. I know we play differently than Vancouver does, so hopefully that should help him out. Reese will be really good for him. He understands how a goaltender thinks and he understands how to deal with each person individually. That's huge.
Could you have a different goaltending situation at the end of the year? Because if Bishop is healthy and ready, it seems like you'd want him in net with his experience.
Bowness: All I can say is our philosophy is the best goaltender is going to play. We'll give them all an opportunity to play and then we'll sort it out and determine which one gives us the best chance to win. Training camp is going to be huge for each of them, and they're all motivated to perform. On the first day of training camp, we'll see who's healthy and who's ready to go, and then we'll start sorting it out then.
Do you feel Jake Oettinger will be okay whether he's in the minors or the NHL?
Bowness: Absolutely. He is a great kid, a great teammate, he works his butt off every day. I'm not worried about Jake. He'll come in and he'll push to play from Day 1.

He could also be playing for a good AHL team because of the players you have down there. How important could that be?
Bowness:Right now, I'm not worried about our AHL team. I really am focused on making sure the Dallas Stars have the best players on the ice and are ready to go.
As challenging as this is, could it also be fun?
Bowness: Definitely. Getting it all organized, seeing it come together, that's the fun part of it. I can't wait to get going again. I'm very excited about having a more normal schedule. We have the Olympic break and that condenses the rest of the schedule, but you can look at the schedule and see there are chances for rest and practice, and that really is something we didn't have last year. To have those 44 games in 77 days, you have no idea what that took out of everybody. The players probably needed six to eight weeks to start feeling normal, but now we have a chance to get back, and we really are looking forward to that.
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Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.