Curtis Lazar signed a two-year, $1.9 million contract with the Calgary Flames. His contract carries an $950,000 AAV. Lazar spent the first three years of his career with the Ottawa Senators before getting traded to Calgary at the 2017 Trade Deadline.
.@CortexBusiness Transaction Alert: The #Flames have inked @CurtisLazar95 to a two-year deal ~ https://t.co/HpvNzckrHN pic.twitter.com/Uh9Rs66YJ2
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) July 14, 2017
2 years at a $950,000 AAV for Lazar. #Flames https://t.co/wuauylf23E
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) July 14, 2017
Curtis Lazar Re-Signs With Calgary Flames
Lazar still found himself trying to put things together in 2016-17 for the Senators after being selected at 17th overall in 2013. In 143 games from 2014-16, he scored just 12 goals and 35 points playing between 12:54 and 13:52 of ice time in quite a limited role. This year the role was even more limited but that was due in large part to injury.
In late September, the 22-year old was diagnosed with mononucleosis and ended up waiting until November 19th to play his first NHL game of the year. He also had a 13-game stint in Binghamton to get his legs going. New head coach Guy Boucher did not really have a place for Lazar, however; as he was stuck on the fourth line mostly averaging a 9:08 ice time scoring just one assist in 33 games while averaging a 39.8% Corsi-for percentage largely due to his line mates. It didn’t help that he also suffered a concussion in December and upper-body injury in February.
Trade
Finally, the Senators saw there was no future for their former first round pick and on March 1st dealt Lazar to the Calgary Flames for a 2017 second round pick and defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka. However, he would not play his first game for Calgary until March 19th, nearly a month after playing his last game for Ottawa. In the four games he suited up there was some success as he actually scored a goal and had three points.
Curtis Lazar caught the eye of the Senators organization for his play and leadership in the WHL for the Edmonton Oil Kings, winning two WHL titles and a Memorial Cup as a core piece of the squad. In the 2014 Memorial Cup run, he scored ten goals and 22 points in 21 games. The Salmon Arm, BC native captained the 2015 Canada World Junior team after wearing an “A” in his final two WHL seasons, leading them to Gold with five goals and nine points in seven games.
This next contract is Lazar’s first non-entry-level deal. He was on an entry-level slide in the first season of his inaugural NHL deal, so instead of expiring last summer, the Senators got one more year to see what they truly had and if Lazar would be a part of the future. That question was answered, and now the Flames will see what kind of potential Lazar can fulfill still at a tender age.
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