Jets make a surprising decision regarding captaincy in Winnipeg
After stripping former Jets winger Blake Wheeler of the captaincy last summer and subsequently buying him out earlier this offseason, the Jets were left without a captain for the 2022-23 season and were expected to name a new captain prior to the start of this season. On Tuesday, the Jets officially named a new captain and the choice isn't the one most were expecting.
The Jets had a number of intriguing choices available to them, including the likes of Josh Morrissey, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, but ultimately chose to name Adam Lowry the team's next captain.
The decision to pass on Scheifele as captain is somewhat understandable, given his contract status. Scheifele is a pending UFA and may find himself on the move at the deadline, as he had not signed an extension this summer. However, both Morrissey and Connor are signed for at last 3 more seasons and are much better players overall than Lowry.
Now, I understand that captaincy has to do with a lot more than just points. Lowry, I'm sure, has plenty of solid leadership qualities. However, as a bottom-6 forward, he's not your prototypical selection for captain. Yes, he can play higher in the lineup in a pinch, but he's not exactly a game-changer.
Lowry, 30, has 3 seasons left on his current deal, which carries a $3.25M cap hit. He skated in all 82 games last season, scoring 13 goals and racking up 36 points. He was a point per game in the playoffs, recording 5 points in 5 games against Vegas in round 1.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 12 | 120 ANSWERS Jets make a surprising decision regarding captaincy in Winnipeg Who do you think the Jets should have named captain instead of Adam Lowry? | ||
| Mark Scheifele | 21 | 17.5 % |
| Josh Morrissey | 26 | 21.7 % |
| Kyle Connor | 22 | 18.3 % |
| I think they made the right choice with Lowry | 51 | 42.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
