Our 2018-19 Pilot’s Logbook player review series continues with a look at forward Adam Lowry who has developed into a top quality third line center despite an injury filled 2018-19.

After a full 82 game season the year previous, 2017-18 was a bit of a study in frustration for Lowry who was limited to 45 games of action in the regular season due to a pair of mid-season injuries. When he was on the ice he was counted on as the Jets top checking center and it was a role he was really starting to thrive on this season as his line typically drew the toughest match-up assignments against other team’s top lines.

His 56.6% CF% – Corsi for at even strength – was tied for the best on the Jets with Mathieu Perreault. Anything over 50% typically means that the team had more control over puck possession when Lowry was on the ice. For the sake of a quick comparison, Selke trophy nominees Sean Couturier (53.2) and Anze Kopitar (53.1) ranked lower while Patrice Bergeron (57.3) who may be considered one of the best in the NHL did rank higher.

Another strong area of improvement for Adam was his work on the face-off dot. His 55.9% face-off success rate was the highest of his career and was depended upon especially on defense where his 59.4% start rate in the Jets defensive end of the ice was the highest of any Jets center this season.

The tough assignments Lowry was given through the season and the focus on more of a defensive role with the club did hurt his overall offensive numbers. Adam last scored a goal back on December 29, 2017 against the New York Islanders.

Lowry was able to suit up for all 17 games in the post-season and again it was his line that was typically assigned with shutting down opposing team’s top forward groups. His defensive zone start percentage climbed up to 66.1% which again led all Jets centers – in fact no other center on the team was over 50%. When you consider what Lowry’s line was mostly tasked with doing in any given game, his lack of goal scoring is understandable.

Lowry will need a new deal this summer and it’s likely that it won’t be any longer a term given then three seasons at the most at anywhere from 1.5 to 2.75 million per season which would still be a nice raise for the 25 year old who is starting to establish himself as one of the league’s best defensive centers and a key piece of the Jets bottom six forward group going forward. If he can stay healthy next season, there is no reason to think he can’t keep up his strong defensive play while bringing up his offensive number back to where they were a couple of seasons ago when he scored 15 goals and had 29 points in 2016-17.