OTTAWA -- At this point, the Ottawa Senators figured Curtis Lazar would be one of their top young forwards, providing the same grit and character he did as captain of Team Canada's gold medal-winning entry in the 2015 world junior championships.
Instead, Lazar will be making his first trip to Canadian Tire Centre on Friday as member of the Calgary Flames, still trying to get his NHL career on the track it was projected to follow.
Lazar, the Senators' first-round pick in the 2013 entry draft, was traded to the Flames a little more than a year ago after 176 games with Ottawa in which he scored 12 goals.