The Winnipeg Jets are now 48 days away from opening their 2026-27 NHL season at home against the Boston Bruins. The Jets are also 71 days away from hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic (I got my ticket). The long days of the NHL off-season are almost over, as we can soon start looking ahead to the 2026-27 season.

Today marks another continuation of a series that I’ve covered the past two off-seasons known as the “goals and expectations” series. This series quickly previews what to expect (and what to hope for) from Jets players in the 2026-27 season. Before switching to other Jets news and topics next week, this afternoon’s player in the spotlight is none other than the Jets Captain Adam Lowry.

Adam Lowry is an example of a handful of players on the Jets 2026-27 roster that have been with the organization since they were drafted by the Jets. Lowry was drafted in the 3rd round (67th overall) back in the 2011 NHL Draft. After a season in the juniors and two seasons in the AHL, Lowry made his debut with the Jets in the 2014-15 season. Lowry continued to grow his game into a shutdown bottom six role player, and his leadership earned him the honour of being named the Jets Captain on September 12th, 2023.

Lowry’s point total has never been the “main focus” in his career, but last season was a step back for Lowry’s production. Early in Lowry’s career he averaged around 25 points a season, but the last three seasons Lowry stepped up his game by averaging 35 points a season. Last season, in 70 games, Lowry only scored 5 goals and 16 assists for 21 points. The 5 goals really stands out, as Lowry only had a 7% shooting percentage. The lack of depth scoring was a big talking point for the Jets this off-season, and Lowry finishing tied in 9th for points on the Jets is just one example of the overall decline in offence from this team.

The ideal spot for Adam Lowry in the Jets lineup in the 2026-27 season is the 3rd line centre. This should be where Lowry slots into the forward group, but this could get complicated by the pre-season performances of several other Jets forwards. The likely outcome remains that Lowry is the Jets 3rd line centre, but Lowry could be thrown into the 2nd line centre role if needed, something that would be less than ideal for Lowry’s play style at this point in his career. Lowry will also be a lock to be featured on one of the Jets penalty kill units.

Off the ice, last season (November 19th, 2025) Adam Lowry signed a new five-year, $25 million contract extension with the Jets. Lowry’s new contract begins this season, and this summer Lowry got married, giving him two positive milestones that will hopefully motivate him going into the new season. Lowry’s leadership as the Captain of the Jets continues to be exactly what the organization needs, and now Lowry prepares for his next year of hockey looking to re-gain his form from the previous three seasons.

Just like the rest of the Jets forward lineup (apart from the 1st line), it’s somewhat tricky to predict who Lowry’s linemates will be as of today. Like I mentioned with Alex Iafallo, if Lowry gets the right linemates he could bounce back with a 30 point season. Lowry should have a very reasonable goal of reaching 10+ goals and 15+ assists for at least a 25 point season as a depth scorer in the Jets forward group. Captain Lowry is ready to begin his new five-year contract which should take him close to the end of his career with the Jets, so you can expect a motivated Adam Lowry going into the 2026-27 NHL season.

The 2026 NHL off-season continues on as we’ve reached mid-August, as teams are still enjoying their last two or three weeks off before training camps begin in September. Stay tuned for more “goals and expectations” articles throughout the month of August (and early September) as I’ll look at what to expect from 2026-27 Jets players throughout the lineup. Let us know on our Daily Faceoff Winnipeg socials if there’s a certain player you’d like us to cover next!

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