For the majority of the long off-season, fans have pointed to the third line as an area of weakness for the Ottawa Senators.
While Zack Smith and Jean Gabriel Pageau have proven that they can take a regular shift and make up two thirds of a capable third line, it’s that right wing spot that remains a significant question mark with training camp now just a few weeks away.
Unless there’s a last minute addition through free agency or via a PTO (not happening at the forward position), it seems like Curtis Lazar has the inside track at starting in that role when the season kicks off in mid-October. Whether or not he’s ready for that position and on an everyday basis is certainly up for debate.
With 143 NHL games under his belt, Curtis Lazar isn’t a rookie in this league anymore. While his first two seasons in the league have quiet offensively (just 35 points), Lazar clearly has the defensive side of the game figured out. He always knows where to be in his own end of the rink and earned the trust of the previous Coaching staff quickly for a player his age.
This year, he needs to show that there’s some untapped offensive potential that makes him worthy of that 17th overall draft selection.
While high-end offensive ability wasn’t part of the package the Senators thought they were getting in Lazar, they probably thought he was capable of more than six goals a season. Lazar scored 41 goals in just 58 games with Edmonton Oil Kings in his last season of Junior. He scored 99 times over four seasons in the WHL.
Looking back at some of his Junior Hockey success, a lot of it came from getting to those dirty areas. In the World Juniors, it seemed like all of his scoring chances came from within 5 feet of the net.
If Lazar is going to rediscover some of that goal scoring ability, he’ll need to do the same thing at the NHL level. And that will mean worrying a little bit less about being the first one back.
Safe has been the name of the game for Lazar early in his career. He did what he had to do to stay in the line up and adapted his game to become a player that could play any forward position. In his two years in the league, he’s played all three forward positions and with frequently changing linemates. It was a role Lazar embraced even if bouncing around the line up did bother him a bit at times.
If he’s going to be a regular on next year’s team, he’ll have to find a little more offence in his game.
Fortunately for Lazar, it’s not like there’s a ton of competition for that position.
With Alex Chiasson gone to Calgary, an already thin right side is even more depleted. One of Matt Puempel, Nick Paul or Ryan Dzingel could play their off wing. Mike Blunden might be an option. Maybe Chris Kelly takes that spot and Zack Smith slides into the fourth line centre spot. None of those options sound ideal. No matter how you look at it, it’s pretty clear that the job is Lazar’s to lose.
And unlike last year, Management seems at least open to the idea of Lazar starting the season in Binghamton. If Lazar wasn’t already feeling the heat heading into training camp, that comment by Dorion should certainly get his attention.
How do you see the third line looking on opening night? What are you expectations for Curtis Lazar this season?
