Winnipeg Jets interim coach Dave Lowry will have to re-apply if he wants to keep his job.
Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff announced on Monday that the club would undergo "a full-scale interview process" for a new head coach, but that Lowry was welcome to ask to be considered. He also said the players would have a say.
"I met with Dave (Lowry) and told him … that if he wanted to be part of that formal search that he had earned that opportunity," Cheveldayoff told the media on Monday.
Lowry took over 29 games into the season when head coach Paul Maurice resigned on Dec. 17 after eight and a half seasons in charge. Lowry had joined the club as an assistant in November of 2020. The team finished with a record of 39-32-11, eight points out of the playoffs, but were 26-22-6 under Lowry.
The status of the club's assistant coaches — Jamie Kompon, Charlie Huddy and Wade Flaherty — remains up in the air.
When asked what kind of coach would be the best fit, Cheveldayoff said: "I think we're going to be open minded," before adding that the players would also be consulted.
"I want to let the guys speak to me and I want to my staff speak to me. And then I want to take a bit of time to reflect and take a look at who's out there."
The move comes on the heels of Cheveldayoff being awarded a three-year contract extension on the weekend.
