Jared Crozier: Curtis Lazar Making A Strong Case For Himself

I think Lazar will be our 2nd line Center by game 9 - Zibby (like Cowen and Weircoche) is going to be passed by Lazar probably by Halloween.

Jared Crozier: Curtis Lazar Making A Strong Case For Himself
- JaredCrozier

I think it all depends on how the Sens do in the next 5 games. If he can handle the pace of the NHL then Ottawa is where he needs to be, that being said, however, if he doesn't find a role to grow into and from then it might be better to have him go back to the Dub.

Lazar is a heart and soul player, he plays hard every night.

Lazar is a heart and soul player, he plays hard every night.

- The_Hinter

Oilers deserve better - time to clean house in management

I have missed the last few games, so I won't comment on his on ice play, but I say only keep him up if there is a "role" for him on this team. I don't think office maturity and how he handles himself with the media is a huge deterrent. All young players who are highly touted are taught all that jazz in junior. I've always liked the idea of a young player rooming with a veteran player though. That makes the transition easier.

If he is only playing under 10 minutes a game, I really don't see much of an advantage of keeping him up. We have about 30 players in the system who can do that. If he is playing solid minutes and being used in important situations, then keeping him here is the way to go.

So who starts in nets against the leafs ,iam thinking lehner.Andy hasnt gotten the job done against them .They just seem to own us right now and this needs to change

So who starts in nets against the leafs ,iam thinking lehner.Andy hasnt gotten the job done against them .They just seem to own us right now and this needs to change
- top shelf 15

Nah no need to change

I have missed the last few games, so I won't comment on his on ice play, but I say only keep him up if there is a "role" for him on this team. I don't think office maturity and how he handles himself with the media is a huge deterrent. All young players who are highly touted are taught all that jazz in junior. I've always liked the idea of a young player rooming with a veteran player though. That makes the transition easier.

If he is only playing under 10 minutes a game, I really don't see much of an advantage of keeping him up. We have about 30 players in the system who can do that. If he is playing solid minutes and being used in important situations, then keeping him here is the way to go.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

I agree with this, as much as I love watching him play, if we can't find a way to get him 17 minutes a night, then he may as well go back and hone his scoring in the dub, and star for canada at the joons.

Basically he has to outplay three or four guys, and so far he's outplayed only 1 or 2.

I don't want to see us keep him up to fill condras role on Line 4, when Condra does that just fine.

I agree with this, as much as I love watching him play, if we can't find a way to get him 17 minutes a night, then he may as well go back and hone his scoring in the dub, and star for canada at the joons.

Basically he has to outplay three or four guys, and so far he's outplayed only 1 or 2.

I don't want to see us keep him up to fill condras role on Line 4, when Condra does that just fine.
- TommyDeVito

i disagree.....

i think playing 10 mins a night over 80ish games in the NHL is far better for his development than playing junior hockey.

if he was a healthy scratch every other game, or only playing 2-3 minutes a night, then i would agree. but he's playing 10ish minutes, in all situations. he has to stay up.

It's strange to read those comments from Lazar. He's a real keener, and maybe, dare-I-say, even a brown-noser. Sucking up to management and coaches may work at first, but it could irritate others and cause some friction in the dressing room. Not saying that's the case, just sayin'.

That said, if he plays great, the others will just be seen as wannabes and whiners.

i disagree.....

i think playing 10 mins a night over 80ish games in the NHL is far better for his development than playing junior hockey.

if he was a healthy scratch every other game, or only playing 2-3 minutes a night, then i would agree. but he's playing 10ish minutes, in all situations. he has to stay up.
- sensarmy_11

10 min is the absolute minimum though. You're usually not playing in all situations if you are under that. If you're playing in all situations you are most likely coming closer to 15 min per game. Right now he is averaging about 14 min a game, which is decent thus far.

10 min is the absolute minimum though. You're usually not playing in all situations if you are under that. If you're playing in all situations you are most likely coming closer to 15 min per game. Right now he is averaging about 14 min a game, which is decent thus far.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

i think maclean rarely has forwards playing under 10 minutes.

if lazar continues to be used like he is now, and his play remains the same, there is no reason to send him down....IMO

he won't learn or develop in junior. even if he plays only 8 minutes a night, when you factor in practices, game day skates, and the increased number of games....he's still playing more hockey, and a significantly higher level, then he would be in the WHL

I agree with this, as much as I love watching him play, if we can't find a way to get him 17 minutes a night, then he may as well go back and hone his scoring in the dub, and star for canada at the joons.

Basically he has to outplay three or four guys, and so far he's outplayed only 1 or 2.

I don't want to see us keep him up to fill condras role on Line 4, when Condra does that just fine.
- TommyDeVito

17 minutes is a lot. There are 110 forwards who have averaged that this season. That's just over 3 per team. Lazar doesn't need to play a top 6 role to learn on the job. If he is getting 3 or 4 minutes of mop up time that's one thing, but 10 minutes in a PK role and getting important minutes at important times, that is more vital experience than he is going to learn by dominating in junior. The offense will come in time.

However, I wouldn't be averse to sending him to Team Canada for a month in December/January and see him captain a Gold Medal winning team!

17 minutes is a lot. There are 110 forwards who have averaged that this season. That's just over 3 per team. Lazar doesn't need to play a top 6 role to learn on the job. If he is getting 3 or 4 minutes of mop up time that's one thing, but 10 minutes in a PK role and getting important minutes at important times, that is more vital experience than he is going to learn by dominating in junior. The offense will come in time.

However, I wouldn't be averse to sending him to Team Canada for a month in December/January and see him captain a Gold Medal winning team!
- JaredCrozier

i think that would greatly depend on where the team is, and how much he is contributing.

if ottawa is in a playoff spot, and he's playing an important role, then no way you let him go for a month. however, if the team is struggling and well back of the top 8, then i think that would be great for him

i think maclean rarely has forwards playing under 10 minutes.

if lazar continues to be used like he is now, and his play remains the same, there is no reason to send him down....IMO

he won't learn or develop in junior. even if he plays only 8 minutes a night, when you factor in practices, game day skates, and the increased number of games....he's still playing more hockey, and a significantly higher level, then he would be in the WHL
- sensarmy_11

I don't really disagree with your opinion on the WHL vs NHL for Lazar. Junior hockey only helps until a certain point for players. You alluded to Maclean rarely playing forwards under 10 minutes. This is true for the most part, but of those players, that includes our 3rd and 4th liners. We all know who they are. Is Lazar really benefitting from playing with them? If he starts to get a little more offensive punch, he will get better line mates, which will in turn, really help his progression.

It's important to make sure we mould Lazar into the player we want him to be which is a top 6, 2 way player. We saw Ceci play decent NHL minutes. We saw Zibby play decent NHL minutes. We are seeing Lehner play decent NHL minutes. We are seeing Stone get decent NHL minutes. This organization either plays their top prospects in the NHL or lets them get those minutes elsewhere. Lazar will be no different. Next 5 games should paint a clearer picture. I'd put my money on him improving and forcing the club to keep him.

i disagree.....
i think playing 10 mins a night over 80ish games in the NHL is far better for his development than playing junior hockey.
if he was a healthy scratch every other game, or only playing 2-3 minutes a night, then i would agree. but he's playing 10ish minutes, in all situations. he has to stay up.
- sensarmy_11

Agreed, I'm not generally one to endorse underage players in the NHL, but not only is Lazar showing he's every bit ready to play at this level, but he's legitimately got very little to learn or prove at the junior level. Few players can say they've had a 40G season, been an assistant captain, played on a scoring line for Canada at the WJC, and won a Memorial Cup all in the same year.

The situation you really want to avoid is playing a young player in the NHL because you feel you 'have to' because of a lack of better options... with Lazar, it seems that most people feel he's genuinely earned his spot, and I've rarely seen that become a negative. It also seems like his attitude is a breath of fresh air, and maybe something of an example for certain other young players on the team. I'd say he was like 'Rudy', but the kid's listed as being the same size as Clarke MacArthur.

i think that would greatly depend on where the team is, and how much he is contributing.

if ottawa is in a playoff spot, and he's playing an important role, then no way you let him go for a month. however, if the team is struggling and well back of the top 8, then i think that would be great for him
- sensarmy_11

I would like to see him play for the WJC team and be the Captain in a Canadian tournamant in Montreal and Toronto - this will be the biggest WJC of all time - but by the time Christmas rolls around I don't know if we can spare him.

Might be a good time to give JGP some minutes, and I think Lazar on that team WJC would be amazing, so I'd like to see it but I think we'll need him, he's to good already.

Nah no need to change
- ClarksonDavid

Please

This is going to come down to this being a full year of his contract. If management can honestly say it's worth burning a year of his rookie deal at 19 then they will keep him but the budget conscious Sens are going to send him to the WHL and reap the benefits of that contract year next year.

i just don't see how lazar gets "betteR" playing in whl. he should be up in nhl (or ahl, but unfortunately that's not an option) playing and adapting to a faster, harder, bigger game.

I would like to see him play for the WJC team and be the Captain in a Canadian tournamant in Montreal and Toronto - this will be the biggest WJC of all time - but by the time Christmas rolls around I don't know if we can spare him.
Might be a good time to give JGP some minutes, and I think Lazar on that team WJC would be amazing, so I'd like to see it but I think we'll need him, he's to good already.
- tuna99

I'm certainly not averse to letting Lazar play a leadership role at the WJC - assuming the team isn't suffering from too many concurrent injuries. If they still have guys like Condra and Greening on the payroll at that point, they may not even need to call anyone up - but if they do, their forward depth in Binghamton is deep enough that at least one or two players should be chomping at the bit for some NHL time by then.

He's playing great as far as I am concerned. I hope management keeps the kid up and loans him out for the Juniors....

I would like to see him play for the WJC team and be the Captain in a Canadian tournamant in Montreal and Toronto - this will be the biggest WJC of all time - but by the time Christmas rolls around I don't know if we can spare him.

Might be a good time to give JGP some minutes, and I think Lazar on that team WJC would be amazing, so I'd like to see it but I think we'll need him, he's to good already.
- tuna99

I agree, but you have to worry about two things by sending him to the WJC- the first is his loss production on the sens, which as you've pointed out, shouldn't be an issue on a temporary basis with our depth, especially at C.

The second though, and arguably more important, is the possibility of injury. If we loan him to WJC and he gets injured for the rest of the year, that's a really poopty pill to swallow.

I have missed the last few games, so I won't comment on his on ice play, but I say only keep him up if there is a "role" for him on this team. I don't think office maturity and how he handles himself with the media is a huge deterrent. All young players who are highly touted are taught all that jazz in junior. I've always liked the idea of a young player rooming with a veteran player though. That makes the transition easier.

If he is only playing under 10 minutes a game, I really don't see much of an advantage of keeping him up. We have about 30 players in the system who can do that. If he is playing solid minutes and being used in important situations, then keeping him here is the way to go.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

Totally disagree.

This kid had nothing to learn from playing another year in junior.

Looking at his previous year, it's very hard to imagine he betters it- which in his mind would probably be a disappointment.

He's proven he can be an asset at this level, and as such, he should stay.