Curtis Lazar

Lazar's New Jersey career got off to a bumpy start after Vancouver dealt him at last season's trade deadline. Between an injury and time spent as a healthy scratch, he dressed in just four games with the Devils and failed to record a point. He then scored one goal in six postseason appearances. Lazar totaled five points in 49 games last year and he has just one 20-point performance in his nine-year NHL career. The 28-year-old is buried in New Jersey's depth chart and will be a nonfactor for fantasy purposes during the 2023-24 campaign.

At 26 years old, Lazar is running out of time to prove he belongs at the NHL level. He had 13 points and 99 hits in 50 games split between the Sabres and the Bruins last season, and he's only reached the 20-point mark once during his seven-year NHL career. The Canadian forward will likely get a shot at a regular spot in the Bruins' bottom six following David Krejci's decision to head to his native Czech Republic for the remainder of his playing career. Even so, Lazar is unlikely to play above the third line in a best-case scenario. Based on his history, Lazar's ceiling is around 20 points with plus physicality -- most fantasy managers can fill out their depth with higher-scoring options.

Lazar logged 38 games as a rotational player for the Sabres in 2019-20, picking up five goals and 10 points while averaging 11:50 of ice time per contest. The 25-year-old pivot will likely continue to be in and out of the lineup as just one of Buffalo's fourth-line options in 2020-21, so he won't be a viable fantasy option.

In his first full season as a member of the Flames, Lazar recorded a pair of goals and 12 total points, falling just shy of averaging 10 minutes per contest. It wasn't a great offensive season by any stretch of the imagination, but nonetheless a step in the right direction considering Lazar managed just four points in 37 games between Ottawa and Calgary for the 2016-17 campaign. Heading into 2018-19, the B.C. native figures to slot into to a bottom-six role but he'll have plenty of young, hungry forwards behind him anxious to take his spot should he stumble. While Lazar should crack the lineup most nights, his offensive production will be limited. Only consider in deeper leagues.

Lazar’s 2016-17 campaign was a tumultuous one, to say the least -- the 22-year-old managed just a single assist with Ottawa before being shipped off to Calgary at the trade deadline, all while appearing in just 37 total games due to a nagging upper-body injury and a rash of healthy scratches. A natural center whose immediate future appears to be at left wing, he didn't see significantly more looks in his four games with the Flames, but he made the most of his 11:47 of average ice time by scoring a goal and adding two assists. The high-end talent ahead of Lazar on the team’s depth chart makes it difficult to justify drafting him in fantasy, but he certainly has potential for a mini breakout if he can find a prominent and comfortable role in the squad’s bottom-six ranks.

Lazar finished up his second campaign as a pro with six tallies, 14 assists and 78 shots on goal – an improvement upon his rookie season, but still not much for fantasy purposes. The 21-year-old is unlikely to break out on the Sens anytime soon, as the top six is quite crowded in Ottawa. A natural center, he can't even break into the Sens' top three lines at that position, so he's likely going to have to ply his trade on the wing. With that in mind, the 2013 first-round pick's appeal is limited to deep keeper formats.

The Senators' 2013 first-round pick, Lazar made the team out of camp as a 19-year-old last year and fit well in a depth role, racking up 15 points to go with 167 hits in 67 games. He doesn't have great size or an elite offensive pedigree, but Lazar is already quite competent for his age at both center and right wing. Unfortunately, the Senators have a fleet of young talent at both those positions, so unless they suffer some injuries or Lazar can displace someone, he's going to be stuck with bottom-six minutes, and thus, limited fantasy appeal once again in 2015-16. In the long run, though, Lazar could invite comparison to the best days of Dustin Brown -- that sort of 50-point, 200-plus-hit output is within the range of his ability.

Lazar is quite clearly the crown jewel of a Senators farm system short on high-end talent, and he stands a pretty good chance to make the roster in training camp. He's never played a professional game before, but the organization loves him, and the numbers he put up in the WHL are nothing short of impressive. He finished 2013-14 with 41 goals and 35 assists in 58 games, aiding him to a phenomenal plus-41 rating. The team is pretty deep down the middle at this point, but the Sens are probably going to give him an extended look at the very least while they're rebuilding. He's not worth picking up right away, but be sure to keep Lazar on your radar for the near future.

The Senators took Lazar number 17 overall in the 2013 NHL Draft, so he's definitely worth keeping an eye on this season. He's only 18, so he likely won't have an impact for a couple more years, but he's a big, strong power forward with great hands around the net. He racked up 38 goals and 23 assists in 72 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL last season. Although it probably won't be this year, eventually Lazar could be a very valuable fantasy player.