Former Oiler Curtis Lazar Finds New UFA Home In Unexpected Landing Spot

As a former first-round pick, Curtis Lazar has made a career in the NHL as a bottom-six checking forward and a 4th-line center for the last 12 years. 

However, as an unrestricted free agent again this offseason, there were no contracts coming his way, or even any PTO offers. So Lazar has taken his talents to Switzerland to play overseas for the first time in his career. 

Curtis Lazar has gone to Switzerland signing in Lausanne

— Jim Matheson (@jimmathesonnhl) September 19, 2026

Lazar played for the Edmonton Oilers last season, getting into 48 games, while recording 4 goals and six points with 95 hits. He won a very strong 61.2% of his faceoffs taken, and provided a physical presence for the bottom six. He was limited, however, to a lean 8:55 average time on ice, the lowest of his career. 

A couple of injury absences and a number of healthy scratches also kept his games played total down. 

Lausanne HC plays in the National League (NL), the top professional hockey league in Switzerland, which kicked off its 2026-27 season last week. Lazar will play both center and wing for the club, and joins several other former NHLers on the squad, including Colin Miller, Erik Brännström, and Drake Caggiula, also a former Oiler. 

The Ottawa Senators made Lazar the 17th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. In 617 career NHL games, Lazar totalled 51 goals and 80 assists for 131 points along with 1,355 hits. In addition to the Oilers and Sens, he's also suited up for the Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, and New Jersey Devils.