This summer, the Edmonton Oilers parted ways with several veteran bottom-six forwards and acquired younger replacements. Andrew Mangiapane and Jack Roslovic carried the most name value out of the new additions, and David Tomášek provided plenty of intrigue coming off a big year in Sweden.

A player who might’ve gone under the radar amongst all the new faces was Curtis Lazar. Through 50 games, the Oilers have a 17-7-3 record with Lazar in the lineup this season and an 8-10-5 record without him. At league minimum salary, he’s turning out to be a savvy bet for Edmonton.

Lazar, now 30, isn’t a flashy player; his career high in points is 25, and he doesn’t have a 10-goal season to his name. Still, he has carved out a long career for himself as a reliable 4th........

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