After signing star winger Kyle Connor to an eight-year contract extension, attention has shifted in Winnipeg to the status of team captain Adam Lowry. The 32-year-old veteran center is a pending unrestricted free agent and appears poised to receive a solid raise off of the $3.25MM AAV he has earned on his current contract.
On TSN’s Insider Trading segment, Darren Dreger reported that while contract talks between the Jets and Lowry’s agent (Craig Oster of Newport Sports Management) are currently at a “preliminary” stage, reaching an agreement on an extension “is now a top priority.”
With Connor now locked in, Lowry is without question the Jets’ most important remaining pending unrestricted free agent. Not only does he play a significant role as a leader and captain, Lowry’s on-ice role for the Jets is also significant. He’s consistently scored right around 35 points in each of the last three seasons, but his calling card isn’t his offense, it’s his all-around value.
Lowry was the Jets’ top penalty-killing forward last season in terms of usage, and also was an asset at the faceoff dot, winning nearly 52% of his draws. He’s been able to match up against his opponents’ top scorers and more than hold his own. When one considers the whole of what he offers the Jets, both on and off the ice, it’s easy to make the case that he’s in the upper echelon of third-line centers in the NHL.
Examining the construction of the Jets’ roster, the importance of re-signing Lowry only becomes more clear. The Jets’ other middle-six center candidates this season are Jonathan Toews, who is also a pending unrestricted free agent, and Vladislav Namestnikov, who is under contract for an additional year but is set to turn 33 in November. In other words, the Jets do not appear to have someone ready in the organizational pipeline to be able to fill the void losing Lowry would create in future seasons.
As for what Lowry could earn, the projected sharp increase of the salary cap combined with new record-setting contracts makes projecting his contract extension a more challenging exercise. Lowry is not the same caliber of player as the stars who have re-set the forward market, of course, but just as the price ranges for star players will rise, so will the price range for players expected to fill spots lower in the lineup.
AFP Analytics projects a two-year, $3.92MM AAV contract extension for Lowry, a value that, while a modest raise from his current AAV, may not be a reflection of Lowry’s current market value. He’s not in line to shatter the market, but established centers, especially ones who can make an all-around impact, are always in demand.
The Jets are expected to once again be one of the NHL’s top teams this season, and Lowry plays a key role in making their whole operation run smoothly. Based on Dreger’s report, it’s clear that the Jets understand Lowry’s importance, and have made re-signing him a top priority moving forward.
Photo courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Adam Lowry got the biggest applause tonight for the Jets home opener, He’s one of my favorite players, A smart investment is 2 years, At 5.5 AAV.
He’ll want and likely receive 7 per year.