Curtis Lazar
Curtis Lazar | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 2, 1995 Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player |
| Known for | Playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) |
Curtis Lazar (born February 2, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey athlete currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was chosen 17th overall by the Ottawa Senators during the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Lazar competed in junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he served as captain when the team secured the Memorial Cup in 2014.
Early life
Originally from Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Lazar grew up in Vernon, British Columbia as one of four siblings. His parents facilitated bus transportation to the Lower Mainland to support his participation with the Vancouver Selects youth hockey team. Throughout his childhood, he was a fan of the Vancouver Canucks, looking up to Ryan Getzlaf as his favorite NHL player and idolizing Joe Sakic.
During his time as captain of Pursuit of Excellence Prep’s 2009–10 squad, Lazar tallied 57 goals and amassed 115 points across 51 games. At the 2010 John Reid Memorial Tournament, he delivered nine goals and 15 points over five games, earning accolades including MVP, Top Forward, and All-Star distinctions. That season, he was honored with the Hockey Now/BC Hockey Hall of Fame Minor Hockey Player Achievement Award.
In the 2010–11 season, Lazar competed for Okanagan Hockey Academy, registering 58 points in 45 under-18 matches alongside nine points in six contests within the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He also captained Team British Columbia at the 2011 Canada Winter Games, guiding them to a gold medal by scoring 12 goals and totaling 17 points—surpassing records previously set by Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby.
Junior
The Edmonton Oil Kings selected Lazar second overall in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft. At age 15, he appeared in just five games for Edmonton before concluding the 2010–11 season. Lazar was briefly called up for two games in December 2010 before returning to Okanagan. He earned his first WHL point during Edmonton’s final regular-season contest and netted his inaugural junior goal in a first-round playoff elimination game.
For the 2011–12 campaign, Lazar became a full-time member of the Oil Kings, recording 20 goals and 31 points over 63 games. He led the team with seven playoff points as Edmonton secured its first WHL postseason series victory in their modern history. The Oil Kings captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup by defeating the Portland Winterhawks, with Lazar topping playoff scoring charts at eight goals and 19 points. Their run concluded at the 2012 Memorial Cup following elimination in a tiebreaker match. At season’s end, both Lazar and Martin Gernat were recognized as top rookies.
In 2012–13, Lazar was appointed alternate captain behind Griffin Reinhart. He represented Team WHL during the Subway Super Series and participated in the 2013 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. Midway through the season, he was on track for over 30 goals and achieved his first WHL natural hat-trick in January. Finishing as Edmonton’s leading scorer with 38 goals and 23 assists, he contributed nine goals and eleven points across 22 playoff contests. The Oil Kings narrowly missed repeating as WHL champions.
Ranked twentieth by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau at season’s conclusion, Lazar was drafted seventeenth overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and signed a three-year entry-level contract that September.
After attending Senators’ preseason camp, Lazar returned to captain Edmonton for the 2013–14 WHL season. Despite missing early games due to Senators’ camp commitments, he quickly made an offensive impact by scoring eight goals and seven assists in seven games. He captained Team WHL at the Subway Super Series and recorded a natural hat-trick versus Regina. Leading Edmonton with totals of 41 goals and 76 points, he received the inaugural Kristians Pelss Oil Kings award recognizing team leadership and earned a spot on the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team. In postseason play, Lazar added ten goals and twenty-two points as Edmonton claimed their second Ed Chynoweth Cup and advanced to the 2014 Memorial Cup. He scored a memorable triple-overtime goal in the semifinals that propelled Edmonton to its first Memorial Cup championship after defeating Guelph Storm. For his sportsmanship throughout the tournament, he was awarded the George Parsons Trophy.
Ottawa Senators
At just 19 years old, Lazar was the youngest player on the Senators' roster for the 2014–15 season opener, making his debut on October 9, 2014, during a 3–2 defeat to the Nashville Predators. His rookie line alongside Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone, nicknamed the "Kids Line," demonstrated early potential. Due to his impressive start, Ottawa kept Lazar beyond the initial 10 games to preserve a contract year. He netted his first NHL goal on December 15 and completed his inaugural season with six goals and 15 points over 67 games. Although the Senators exited in the first playoff round, Lazar's role on the third line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Erik Condra highlighted his promise.
While primarily a centre, Lazar shifted to wing positions throughout the 2015–16 campaign to make room for established centres Pageau and Zack Smith. Early in that season, he exhibited adaptability by playing all 12 forward roles and even expressed readiness to play defense if required. Despite this versatility, his offensive production was slow; after a 26-game scoring drought, he finally scored in January. He concluded the season with six goals and 20 points across 76 games.
Before the 2016 training camp, Lazar was sidelined by mononucleosis and started the 2016–17 season with Ottawa’s AHL team, the Binghamton Senators, where he recorded three goals in 13 outings before being recalled in November. Injuries to key players opened doors for him, but he managed only one assist in 33 NHL appearances. The arrival of veterans Alex Burrows and Viktor Stålberg curtailed his playing time, resulting in several healthy scratches late in the season.
Calgary Flames
On March 1, 2017, Lazar was traded along with Michael Kostka to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Jyrki Jokipakka and a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Following the trade, Lazar was a healthy scratch for seven games as coach Glen Gulutzan stuck with a winning lineup. He made his Flames debut on March 19, stepping in for Micheal Ferland who was ill, contributing to a 5–2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Lazar appeared in only four regular-season games after joining Calgary, tallying one goal and two assists. During the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs, he replaced Matt Stajan and Lance Bouma in the lineup; however, Calgary was eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round.
As a restricted free agent, Lazar agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $1.9 million with Calgary on July 14, 2017. He started the 2017–18 season on a line with fellow former first-round selections Mark Jankowski and Sam Bennett but was reassigned to the fourth line by January. While there, he scored his first goal of that season against Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers. Playing as a fourth-line grinder provided Lazar with a more consistent role; despite modest numbers—two goals and five assists over 51 games—he experienced fewer healthy scratches during the latter half of the campaign. In total, he played in 65 regular-season contests with two goals and twelve points. The Flames missed postseason play partly due to an injury to goaltender Mike Smith.
Beginning the 2018–19 season as an extra forward alongside Garnet Hathaway, Calgary placed Lazar on waivers; after going unclaimed, he was assigned to their AHL affiliate, Stockton Heat. Lazar welcomed this reassignment as it allowed him more ice time, which enhanced both his confidence and offensive production. By midseason, he ranked fourth on Stockton with 14 goals and 33 points across 42 games and earned an invitation to participate in the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic. Recalled by Calgary on February 15, after accumulating 16 goals and 36 points in Stockton, Lazar spent much of his time as a healthy scratch before being sent back down again. Due to injuries and illnesses within Calgary’s roster in March, he was recalled once more but appeared in only one NHL game that season while finishing with totals of 20 goals and 41 points over 57 AHL matches. At season's end, Calgary chose not to tender him a qualifying offer, rendering Lazar an unrestricted free agent.
Buffalo Sabres
On July 1, 2019, Lazar inked a one-year deal worth $700,000 with the Buffalo Sabres. He was among the last players released as the team reduced its roster to 23 and began the 2019–20 campaign with the AHL's Rochester Americans. The Sabres renewed Lazar’s contract on September 24, 2020, signing him for two years at $1.6 million. Throughout the pandemic-affected 2020–21 season, Lazar established himself in a third-line capacity, tallying 5 goals and 9 points across 33 games for the struggling franchise.
Boston Bruins
With the Sabres out of playoff contention, Lazar was traded along with Taylor Hall to the Boston Bruins on April 11, 2021. In return, Buffalo received Anders Bjork and a second-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Vancouver Canucks
After becoming a free agent post-Bruins tenure, Lazar agreed to a three-year contract valued at $3 million with the Vancouver Canucks on July 13, 2022.
New Jersey Devils
On March 3, 2023, the Canucks dealt Lazar to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers secured Lazar’s services as a free agent by signing him to a one-year contract worth $775,000 for the upcoming season on July 2, 2025.
Personal life
Lazar and his wife are parents to two sons.
During his rookie year, Lazar attracted media attention when he consumed a hamburger that was tossed onto the ice during a Senators game versus the Boston Bruins. This incident was part of fan celebrations honoring goaltender Andrew Hammond, nicknamed "The Hamburglar". Lazar later explained that the hamburger was completely wrapped when it landed near him on the bench.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 63 | 20 | 11 | 31 | 56 | 20 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 72 | 38 | 23 | 61 | 47 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 20 | ||
| 2013–14 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 58 | 41 | 35 | 76 | 30 | 21 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 67 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 76 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 33 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 65 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Stockton Heat | AHL | 57 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 18 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 38 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 33 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 17 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 NHL season | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 NHL season | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 45 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14 | |||||||
| New Jersey Devils | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||
| New Jersey Devils | NHL
71|||7|||18|||25|||44 | |||||||||||||
| New Jersey Devils | NHL
48|||2|||3|||5|||14 | |||||||||||||
| NHL totals | 572 | 47 | 78 | 125 | 169 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Outcome | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Canada Pacific | U17 | 5th place | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2012 | Canada | IH18 | Template:Gold1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Canada | WJC | Fourth place | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2015 | Canada | WJC | Template:Gold1 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | |
| Junior career totals | 24 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 6 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| CHL | ||
| CHL Top Prospects Game | 2013 | |
| WHL First All-Star Team | 2013–14 | |
| Memorial Cup champion | 2014 | |
| Memorial Cup Most Sportsmanlike Player | 2014 | |