A former Buffalo Sabres forward has found a nice spot with the New Jersey Devils.
A former Buffalo Sabres forward has found a nice spot with the New Jersey Devils.
With it being the All-Star Break, now seems like a great time to see what some former Buffalo Sabres players have been up to. Because of this, let's dive into Curtis Lazar and how he is quietly having a career-best season with the New Jersey Devils.
After inking a three-year, $3 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks during the 2022 NHL Offseason, Lazar was dealt at last season's deadline to the Devils. Following the move, he was limited to only four regular-season games due to injury, where he had zero points. He also had a goal in six playoff games. While he had a fairly quiet start with the Devils, he has picked it up immensely this season.
Lazar, 29, is on pace to have the best season of his NHL career in 2023-24. He currently has six goals, 16 points, and a plus-10 rating in 42 games. He needs just five more points this season to pass his career-high of 20 points, which he set during the 2015-16 season with the Ottawa Senators.
Besides seeing an increase in offense, Lazar has become a valuable asset to the Devils due to this overall versatility. New Jersey has jumped around the club's lineup this season and has worked virtually anywhere. With that, he has been a major force physically, posting 85 hits already.
Lazar has always been a hard-working bottom-six forward, but it is nice to see his offense starting to go up a bit. It will be intriguing to see how he performs the rest of the year, but it is clear that this former Sabre is really feeling it.
In 71 games over two seasons with the Sabres, he had 10 goals, 19 points, and a minus-7 rating. His time in Buffalo ended when he was traded with Taylor Hall to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Anders Bjork and a second-round pick back in 2021.
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