‘I want to finish my whole career here’ Jets’ Lowry honoured to continue representing’ great community’ Dump & Chase
By: Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre Posted: 7:43 PM CST Friday, Nov. 21, 2025

Adam Lowry isn’t someone who enjoys hypotheticals, he prefers to deal in absolutes.

Earlier this week, the Winnipeg Jets captain was fielding questions from a group of young hockey players from St. John’s-Ravenscourt when he was on the receiving end of one that could have caught someone else off guard.

If you weren’t on the Jets, what team would you want to play for?

Lowry took a brief moment and kind of chuckled before explaining that if — and only if — playing for the Jets wasn’t an option, his hometown Calgary Flames were a team that would be at the top of his list.

Lowry was quick to reiterate at the end of his answer that remaining with the Jets was his No. 1 option and, on Wednesday, he took the necessary steps to ensure that he wouldn’t be seeking a new team or becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

By inking a five-year extension that carries an annual-annual value of US$5 million and total value of US$25 million, Lowry became the latest member of the Jets core group to make another long-term commitment.

For both sides, this seemed like a matter of when — not if — they would find middle ground. But that didn’t make the end result any less significant.

“I’ve had the privilege of playing here my whole career and I want to finish my whole career here,” Lowry said on Friday morning before the Jets faced the Carolina Hurricanes. “It’s hard to put into words, it’s truly special. Winnipeg is a great community, Manitoba is a great province, so to have that support, to get to represent the city, it’s truly an honour. I think if you ask anyone in here, playing in Winnipeg is special. The fans and the community is what makes it special.”

That Lowry spoke highly of the organization that made him the second draft pick in 2.0 franchise history was intentional, but this wasn’t hollow praise either.

“I’ve had the privilege of playing here my whole career and I want to finish my whole career here.”

If he didn’t feel this way, he had the ability to take his puck and go home — or to any of the other 30 NHL teams that were interested in his services on the open market. Instead, Lowry made the choice to invest further in a franchise that he’s put a whole lot of sweat equity into since being chosen in the third round, 67th overall, of the 2011 NHL draft.

Make no mistake, this was a two-way street.

“They were very fair in negotiations and we both approached it from a standpoint that we wanted to get something done. They wanted to keep me and I wanted to stay,” said Lowry. “It’s not something that’s lost on me to get the chance to play for one organization for your entire career.”

The Jets value everything Lowry does, both on the ice as a physical, shutdown centre that can chip in offensively and off it, as someone who leads by example and is the epitome of a captain, not to mention a pillar in the community.

Lowry, who will be 33 when the new contract kicks in, fits perfectly in Winnipeg and Manitoba has proven to be an equally good fit for him.

“The biggest thing is he’s earned everything he’s gotten,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “Nothing was handed to him. He’s done it the right way, every single day, all through that period of time. For him to get that contract you’re just absolutely excited for him. He’s earned it, he deserves it.

“Obviously for our group, to have our captain here day in and day out, it’s huge for the team, it’s huge for the city. It’s going to be great to see him be a Jet here for a very long time.”

Lowry joins Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck and Kyle Connor as homegrown players committed for at least five seasons after this one, with Morrissey on track to join that group with an extension of his own before he becomes a UFA in the summer of 2028.

“He’s earned everything he’s gotten.”

That’s the type of commitment that brings a smile to the face of head coach Scott Arniel.

“To see those guys wanting to finish their careers here, it’s really good for our organization. It’s good for us as a hockey team. It helps us to continue to be constant and consistent and just to move forward,” said Arniel. “Obviously, he has been around hockey his whole life and he helps me, he helps the coaching staff. He can be very emotional but he can be calm and recognize when our group needs to take a deep breath. The leadership side has grown and sometimes you get pressure being a captain, you think you have to do too much, but the best part is that he has gone out and led on the ice with his play and then the off the ice stuff has been tremendous.”

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of Lowry to stick around with this group, as there isn’t another player in the organization that does what he does — or does it quite as effectively.

He’s a high-character player that has been at the epicentre of the Jets rise back up to contender status.

Whether that’s his inclusive style of leadership, his ability to throw thundering checks or to drop the gloves when necessary to stand up for a teammate or his penchant for scoring important goals in the post-season — like his Game 7 overtime winner against the St. Louis Blues last spring, Lowry does it all.

Being able to drive play while handling most of the toughest defensive matchups against the most skilled players in the NHL is no easy task.

In many ways, he’s grown into one of the faces of the franchise and that’s a responsibility he also takes seriously.

The decision by then head coach Rick Bowness to name Lowry captain has ended up being a touchstone in the Jets’ rise back to contender status.

“Generally, I look at a lot of the captains around the league and they’re all great leaders. In our room, we have a lot of guys that could easily be wearing the C. When that came to fruition a couple of years ago, it was one of those things where it was very humbling and it wasn’t something that I expected,” said Lowry, who was asked if he ever envisioned being an NHL captain. “It’s something I am super proud to do. Looking back, I definitely don’t think that I could have expected to be wearing the C in the NHL or to have the career I’ve had so far.”

Lowry will skate in his 783rd regular-season game on Friday and seems destined to reach 1,000-plus in a Jets’ uniform.

But there is ample ground to cover before he reaches that milestone.

For the time being, the focus goes back to chasing Lord Stanley’s mug and if Lowry didn’t feel that was a legitimate possibility before the end of this next deal, he wouldn’t have signed it.

AROUND THE GLASS

A report surfaced on Thursday from NHL insider Frank Seravalli that the Jets have given permission to the representatives for forward prospect Brad Lambert to seek a trade partner.

Lambert, the 30th overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, was reassigned to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League and had one goal — his first in the NHL — in four games with the Jets this season.

The speedy forward is someone who likely believes that he’s ready to be an NHL player, but there isn’t really a spot available for him in the middle-six at this time, which is how the two sides arrived at this impasse.

The Jets aren’t far removed from defenceman Logan Stanley expressing similar frustration and he’s now solidified his spot on the third pairing as an NHL regular, so it’s possible the situation can be salvaged.

“Lambert is a good, young prospect for us and until something happens I still feel that he is going to be a Jet,” said Arniel. “I have said this before about young players we are trying to make them 10, 12, 15 year vets. We want them to be a part of it and we are trying to teach them and bring them along as best as we feel we can.

“We have a veteran group right now and for those three guys, they were all disappointed when they went down and having to tell them the other day they were all disappointed and I understand his disappointment.”

“They have decisions with their agents and wherever they handle stuff. But for me I think we will let it play out and hopefully (Lambert) is here and he gets a chance to play for the Winnipeg Jets,” Arniel added.

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