When the Boston Bruins acquired Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline in 2021, part of the deal that came over with Hall was forward Curtis Lazar. As important a player as Hall was, Lazar turned into a player who had some value to the Black and Gold.
A good addition to the bottom-six, Lazar ended up being a free agent casualty and left in free agency. Lazar ended up going to the Vancouver Canucks for a couple of seasons before ending up with the New Jersey Devils. After a season that saw him score seven goals and dish out 18 assists. This season was a difficult one, and he explained how difficult on Thursday.
Former Bruins forward Curtis Lazar details frustrating 2024-25 season
The Devils were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five games by the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night in double overtime. A banged-up team going into the series, New Jersey suffered more injuries in the series to key players. One of those players they were missing was Lazar, and he detailed just how rough of a season it was injury-wise for him Thursday during the Devils’ exit interviews.
#NJDevils Curtis Lazar really struggled with staying healthy after his knee injury this season.
— Daniel Amoia (@daniel_amoia) May 1, 2025
Said he had trouble getting out of bed and getting down the stairs, was “popping pills for months” just to get by.
Have to feel for him and hope he gets back to 100% for next season.
In 48 games this season, Lazar had two goals and three assists for the Devils, and his last game played was in April at the end of the regular season against the Detroit Red Wings on April 16. The 30-year-old is an unrestricted free agent this summer.
By all accounts, Lazar is a player who is well-liked, and hearing that he had to endure that on almost a daily basis is difficult to hear. He plays the game hard and the right way. He’s not going to light up the scoresheet, but his hustle is what makes him a valuable asset to teams, as Bruins fans saw.