This week is an important one for Pierre Dorion. Not only is the Senators general manager gathering his hockey operations team to compare notes on the upcoming NHL Entry Draft that will be held June 21-22 in Vancouver, pending free agents and possible trade targets, but Dorion also appears to be making progress in his search to hire a new head coach.

TSN Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted Saturday evening, Dorion asked for permission to speak to Stars assistant Rick Bowness. If Bowness is eventually hired, it will be a homecoming for the 64-year old who served as the expansion Senators first head coach from 1992 to midway through the 95-96 campaign.

No firm timetable on when OTT will name a new head coach but the sense is it’s more likely than not to be by the end of the month. — Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 12, 2019

Others who have already received interviews include current interim head coach Marc Crawford, Providence College coach Nate Leaman, Belleville Senators' bench boss Troy Mann, former Senators head coach and current Penguins assistant Jacques Martin and Maple Leafs assistant coach D.J. Smith. It’s believed former Senators d-man and current Blue Jackets associate coach Brad Shaw will also speak to Dorion — but this is yet to be confirmed.

On the flip side, the search for a president of hockey operations may not be going as swimmingly. While the NHL is referring candidates for the position, it’s not exactly clear what the job entails.

When the Sportsnet panel first reported the Senators opened the position back on March 23, the team issued a release stating the team was looking for someone who could support and lend guidance to the GM — to fill the void left by the late Bryan Murray. Usually, the title of president generally commands full autonomy to make integral organization decisions; this tweak may be a stumbling block for potential candidates.

Senators announce search for president of hockey operations to aid GM Pierre Dorion

“For us in our hockey operations, we welcome the addition of an added member," said the Senators GM at his end-of-season media availability. "We feel that’s going to strengthen our hockey operation group. Whatever title, whatever role that person is, we’ll definitely welcome it within our group.”

When that addition will be, however, is still up in the air. Melnyk himself was quoted in a Postmedia article by Bruce Garrioch last week that the search for a team president wouldn’t begin in earnest until the Stanley Cup is awarded.

“I believe there’s going to be a number of candidates who are currently in contention that may become available at the end of their season,” he commented before adding an interesting tidbit. “I’m very open to adding an advisory role only rather than a president of hockey operations.”

There’s no doubt Dorion requires an experienced advisor at some level to assist in the club's decision making. The Senators potentially have 15 guaranteed picks, plus two conditional selections, during the first three rounds of the next three NHL Entry Drafts. Several of these picks should be utilized in acquiring players and it can only benefit Dorion to have a sounding board.

Ron Francis, Trevor Linden, Dean Lombardi and Joe Nieuwendyk have already been reportedly approached by the Senators to fill the position.

One league executive told Sporting News via text that the NHL has spoken to Flames senior vice president of hockey operations Don Maloney to gauge his interest in the job. It’s unknown if the Senators have actually spoken to Maloney or if he’s considering leaving the Flames organization for that matter.

Another possible candidate joining the fray may be Jim Schoenfeld. The former NHL defenseman resigned his position as senior VP/AGM of the Rangers Thursday morning. Schoenfeld held a wide-range of titles with the organization since 2002, which included serving as GM of Rangers AHL affiliate in Hartford — an expertise Senators hockey operations team can sorely utilize.

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While Senators’ fans anxiously wait on these decisions, winds of change blew through the club’s front office last week.

Chief operating office Nic Ruszkowski resigned, Brian Crombie is in as CFO as is Carrie Croft, formerly of Soccer Canada, as senior director of communications. Mark Bonneau, former director of corporate sales becomes chief revenue officer and Rob Mullowney, COO of the Senators AHL affiliate in Belleville adds on Bonneau’s previous duties.

Strengthening front office staff can only be viewed as a positive for fans who are clamouring for stability at the top of an organization which has seen its share of changes the past two seasons.

After all, Cyril Leeder, team president and one of the Senators’ franchise founders was fired January 2017 to make way for former MLSE executive Tom Anselmi, overseer of the construction of Toronto’s Rogers Centre and Scotiabank Arena. Named CEO, Anselmi abruptly resigned mere days after the National Capital Commission and Senators’ owner Eugene Melnyk’s RendezVous Lebreton group announced an agreement in principle to develop 21 hectares of land last January.