SENS DEAL LAZAR
Dorion admits dealing former first-rounder to Calgary Flames was ‘very difficult’
Minutes before Wednesday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, Senators GM Pierre Dorion placed the final piece of his playoff puzzle, dealing 22-year-old winger Curtis Lazar, a 2013 first-round pick who has registered only one assist in 33 games, to the Calgary Flames.
There was a touch of sadness in the voice of Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion as he said goodbye to Curtis Lazar on Wednesday.
“It was something that was very difficult for us as an organization and for me personally,” said Dorion, who wrapped up his first trade deadline as GM by trading Lazar to the Calgary Flames for depth defenceman Jyrki Jokipakka and a secondround selection at June’s entry draft.
“We all saw that it wasn’t working out with Curtis this year. Whether it was the mono, maybe he was behind the 8-ball all year, we saw that he just wasn’t the same player that he had been in the past. We just felt that giving him a fresh start, a new opportunity ... and at the same time we were looking to improve our defensive depth and adding a high pick in this draft.”
While a Lazar trade had loomed as a distinct possibility over the past few weeks given his limited playing time, he was considered a building block for the future of the organization before mononucleosis wiped out his training camp. The Senators’ first round pick in 2013 served as captain of Canada’s world junior team and only turned 22 in February.
His season went from bad to worse, registering only one assist in 33 games after being recalled from Binghamton of the AHL. He never earned the trust of coach Guy Boucher and acknowledged making uncharacteristic mental mistakes in recent games.
While Lazar says he would have gone about his business in the background here, he believed a trade was inevitable after the club added Alex Burrows, Viktor Stalberg and Chris DiDomenico in the previous three days.
“After the deal was made (for Stalberg), I looked at the situation and thought there was a realistic chance that I would be on the way out,” said Lazar.
“I was fully prepared to accept my role and if I was sitting out here, I would have done that. But I’m excited. I’m a hockey player. I like to be on the ice, not in the stands and I think I’m going to get that opportunity in Calgary.”
Lazar hopes it will be a “fresh start” and he will be reunited with Dave Cameron, the former Senators head coach who now serves as a Flames assistant coach.
Given the new arrivals, players who Boucher can’t say enough about, Dorion says it was unlikely Lazar would have seen any playing time for the remainder of the season.
The risk for the Senators is that Lazar re-discovers himself in Calgary and that the pending second round pick — at this point, it would be the 47th overall selection — doesn’t pan out.
For now, though, Dorion is confident the Senators are a more complete squad as they prepare for the stretch run to the playoffs.
“We’re a better team today than we were a few weeks ago,” he said. “We’ve addressed a lot of our needs. If you start back to when we acquired Tommy Wingels, then you add the character and playing ability of Alex Burrows and Viktor Stalberg, who is someone our scouts have been high on for awhile. I think he will fit well in our system.”
Jokipakka, who has played 147 NHL games between Calgary and Dallas, also provides some insurance in case of injuries on the blue line. He’s the club’s eighth defenceman, playing behind Fredrik Claesson.
Up front, Boucher isn’t sure exactly where everyone will fit, but he’ll be moving the pieces around.
At practice Wednesday, Burrows was on a line with Kyle Turris and Mike Hoffman. Stalberg was on a unit with Wingels and Chris Kelly. At this point, DiDomenico is a depth player who will try to get up to speed at practice.
“I’m like a kid (by) the Christmas tree,” Boucher said. “It’s great to look at your board and see your options. That’s what it has given us now. We can spread those guys around and not tire guys and that’s what had been happening lately because of injuries.”
Stalberg hopes his experience, including winning a Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2013, will be a bonus.
“I certainly think it helps,” he said. “You’ve got to go through it. There are a lot of emotions in the playoffs and one of the biggest things I take from our run is that you’re never out of it. We were down 3-1 (in the Western Conference semifinal against Detroit) and momentum is a big thing in the playoffs.
“Once you know you can come back, that’s important for a group to know that. And some of us can probably bring that element.”
I like to be on the ice, not in the stands and I think I’m going to get that opportunity in Calgary.