Curtis Lazar

Curtis Lazar (born February 2, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He currently plays for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, and New Jersey Devils.

Before playing in the NHL, Lazar played parts of four seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He had a successful career with the Oil Kings. He helped the Oil Kings during the playoffs, defeating the Kootenay Ice, Brandon Wheat Kings, and Moose Jaw Warriors. They went on to eventually defeat the Portland Winterhawks four games to three in the finals to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup.^[1] They advanced to the 2012 Memorial Cup tournament but lost to the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in a tie-breaker.^[2] On September 18, 2012, the Oil Kings named Lazar as one of their alternate captains.^[3] He again helped the Oil Kings during the playoffs, defeating the Prince Albert Raiders, Brandon Wheat Kings, and Medicine Hat Tigers. They went on to eventually defeat the Portland Winterhawks four games to three in the finals to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup.^[4] They advanced to the 2014 Memorial Cup tournament and defeated the Guelph Storm 6–3 to win the Memorial Cup.^[5]

He was selected 17th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2013 NHL entry draft. On September 17, 2013, Lazar signed a entry-level contract to join the Senators.^[6] On October 9, 2014, Lazar made his NHL debut in a 3–2 loss against the Nashville Predators.^[7] On October 16, he recorded his first NHL point, assisting on a Zack Smith goal in a 5–3 win against the Colorado Avalanche.^[8] On December 15, Lazar scored his first NHL goal against Jhonas Enroth in a 5–4 shootout loss against the Buffalo Sabres.^[9] In 2016, the Ottawa sent Lazar down to play for their AHL-affiliate Binghamton Senators to regain his form after he had been recovering from mononucleosis.^[10]

On March 1, 2017, the Senators traded Lazar along with Michael Kostka to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Jyrki Jokipakka and a 2017 second-round pick.^[11] On July 14, 2017, Lazar signed a two-year, $1.9 million contract to stay with the Flames.^[12] On September 30, 2018, the Flames placed Lazar on waivers and he was sent down to play for their AHL-affiliate Stockton Heat.^[13] He saw success and a return to his normal form with the Heat. He was selected to play in the AHL All-Star Classic in 2019.^[14] He was promoted and sent back down multiple times, acting as a healthy scratch for the team.^[15]

On July 1, 2019, Lazar signed a one-year, $700,000 contract to join the Buffalo Sabres.^[16] He was then sent down to play for their AHL-affiliate Rochester Americans.^[17] On September 24, 2020, Lazar signed a two-year, $1.6 million contract to stay with the Sabres.^[18] He played parts of three seasons with the team.

On April 11, 2021, the Sabres traded Lazar along with Taylor Hall to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Anders Bjork and a 2021 second-round draft pick.^[19] He played 87 games with the team, scoring 10 goals and recording 10 assists.

On July 13, 2022, Lazar signed a three-year, $3 million contract to join the Vancouver Canucks.^[20] He played 45 games with the team, scoring 3 goals and recording 2 assists.

On March 3, 2023, the Canucks traded Lazar to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round draft pick.^[21] He played parts of three seasons with the team, scoring 9 goals and recording 21 assists.

On July 2, 2025, Joseph signed a one-year, $775,000 contract to join the Edmonton Oilers.^[22]

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database