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Ottawa Senators Preparing for Crucial Season From Lazar

By Ian Smith |
Mar 31, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Ottawa Senators forward Curtis Lazar (27) skates after the puck in the first period against the Minnesota Wild forward Mikael Granlund (64) at Xcel Energy Center. the Ottawa Senators beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Ottawa Senators forward Curtis Lazar (27) skates after the puck in the first period against the Minnesota Wild forward Mikael Granlund (64) at Xcel Energy Center. the Ottawa Senators beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

2016-2017 is really going to be an important season for Curtis Lazar. The Ottawa Senators still aren’t exactly sure what type of player he’s going to be.

Lazar is a former first round pick for the Senators. Drafted 17th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft, Lazar has played 2 full seasons at the NHL level.

He improved last season on a rookie campaign in which he scored 15 points in 67 games. Lazar followed that up with 20 points in 76 games in 2015-2016.

If Lazar shows similar improvement next season, it would go a long way in illustrating his value to the team going forward.

Lazar becomes a restricted free agent next offseason, and is scheduled to make $832,500 next season. He will not have arbitration rights next offseason, so there’s no distinct milestone of when a deal would have to get done by.

Lazar is a tenacious forward who plays with maximum effort on both ends of the ice. Although he’s undersized, his toughness allows him to overcome some of the impediments created by that.

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He still has some work to do on offense to reach his full potential, though. He’s not a great playmaker, but his niche might be as a physical defensive-oriented forward.

Among forwards on the team who played in at least 60 games, only Chris Neil had a lower shooting percentage than Lazar.

Lazar isn’t the bruising force that Neil is, but he’s still willing to throw his weight around frequently. Lazar ranked 6th on the team in hits despite logging less than 14 minutes of ice time per game.

Lazar can play either center or winger. As a center, he’s the worst faceoff option on the team. His career percentage at winning faceoffs is just 45.2%.

Next: Ottawa Senators Have Many Options for third Defensive Pair

Lazar will hopefully build on his scoring totals from last season, but at the very least will provide physical play on defense.

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