As the season quickly approaches, even a few days off could set a player back substantially in his training, and with it knock the first part of his season out of rhythm. Curtis Lazar, the Ottawa Senators’ youngster who was set to enter his third NHL season at just 21-years old, has come down with a bout of mononucleosis and will be out indefinitely, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.
The former first-round pick was set to play on Ottawa’s third line and build on his solid two-way game. Last season saw Lazar contribute 20 points, and while he’s not expected to win any scoring titles, this is a player who put up 41 goals in his final season of junior and made the NHL as a 19-year old.
- The Panthers have signed three players to PTOs today, bringing in some depth to fill out the practice rosters at camp, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. Stephen MacAulay, Ryan Horvat and Brady Vail will all be pulling on Panthers sweaters for at least the next little while. All three have extensive professional experience at various levels, but have yet to crack an NHL lineup.
- ‘On track’, says Lou Lamoriello, when talking about Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen. Kristen Shilton of TSN reports that the injured goaltender is progressing on the original 3-4 week timetable given for his upper body injury sustained on September 5th. Monday would mark three weeks, meaning that Andersen should be able to at least make it into a partial camp before the season begins.