Lazar’s Injury Hammers Home the Point That the Devils Erred Not Properly Addressing 4C

The Devils needed a 4th line center in the offseason and didn’t go get one. Now, their makeshift 4th line center is injured and they’re looking for answers.

The New Jersey Devils picked up a convincing 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, but the win came at a cost as Curtis Lazar left the game with a lower body injury and did not return.

Lazar was involved in a collision with Ducks captain Radko Gudas and was unable to put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off of the ice. Sheldon Keefe confirmed after the game that while Lazar will be evaluated, he is going to miss some time, leaving a hole at 4C that will need to be filled internally for the time being.

Justin Dowling will be the next man up as he is joining the team on their Western Canada road trip that begins later this evening.

Considering the internal options the Devils have, I don’t have a huge problem with Dowling being the next man up. Granted, I’m basing that opinion off of two regular season games last year where he looked solid and weighing that versus Shane Bowers showing nothing every time I’ve ever watched him play hockey and the unknown with longtime Utica Comets captain Ryan Schmelzer. But I’ve seen enough from Dawson Mercer where I don’t need to see him shifted to center or any other huge lineup reconfiguration to fill the vacancy at 4C. I much prefer calling up Dowling to fill that spot than messing with a bunch of other lines that seem to be finding a rhythm these last few games.

The bigger issue I have is that Curtis Lazar’s injury reinforces the notion that the Devils have had a 4C hole on the roster ever since former Devil Michael McLeod was charged with two counts of sexual assault back in February. When the Devils finally got an opportunity to address that hole on their roster this past offseason, their solution was to shift Lazar to 4C. This decision was inadequate when it was first suggested and its even more obvious now that Lazar is going to miss some extended time.

This isn’t a Johnny come lately take either. I wrote back in July that 4C was a need and that I didn’t think the Devils had an adequate solution in house. John took it a step further when he asked if Lazar was a center. This was a decision that was first-guessed and rightfully so. While I think the consensus opinion on this site and amongst Devils fans is that Lazar is a perfectly fine fourth line winger (and arguably, much better at winger than center), I think there is a differing of opinions whether or not Lazar is a good center. The Devils disagreed and opted to move Lazar to center to address this hole.

I acknowledge that there has been a revolving door of wingers who have played with Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian this season on the 4th line, so it has been difficult to get into a rhythm. This is a list that includes Paul Cotter, Kurtis MacDermid, Ondrej Palat, and Tomas Tatar. But a quick look at Lazar’s stats on Natural Stat Trick show a notable drop from last season. His CF% has dropped from 48.32% last year to 42.93% this season. His xG% has dropped from 52.32% to 42.60%. His counting stats have also taken a hit as his points per game pace has been slashed in half.

Yes, 12 games this season versus 71 last season isn’t the greatest sample size to draw conclusions from, but it is a significant enough body of work where you can make some judgments. And while we generally don’t look to players like Lazar as a source of offense, I think its fair to point out that his play has taken a bit of a hit this season prior to his injury.

The short-lived Cotter-Lazar-Bastian line was fun while it lasted, but its pretty obvious that Cotter was the straw that stirred the drink there, as he has since been used to jumpstart other lines and get them going. Bastian has had his moments as well, but he’s been mostly the same 4th line right winger and penalty killer he’s always been, for better or worse.

I don’t have a crystal ball to declare if the 4th line is significantly better with a healthy Lazar at LW (where we know he can excel as a pesky, energy, defense-first forward), Bastian at RW, and a natural center between the two of them. But I do know the Devils have now lost one of their better defensive forwards for some time. They have lost a key forward when it comes to the penalty kill. It’s a void that needs to be filled in the meantime, and that void is magnified a bit in part because Lazar was playing out of position in the first place.

By pigeonholing themselves in in the manner they did with their roster construction, the Devils limited their options for recall. Maybe the Devils would be better off recalling Nolan Foote or Brian Halonen or Adam Beckman had they just needed a winger. I don’t have a crystal ball to predict that either but an injury to a winger might be the opportunity someone like Foote or Halonen needs to get their big break and show whether or not they’re NHL players. But the Devils needed a center, in part because they’ve always needed a center because it was a hole that was never addressed properly in the first place.

It’s not like there weren’t options available on the open market either. The going rate for a 4C on the open market is about $2M, which is what Sam Lafferty and Kevin Stenlund both got in free agency. Blake Lizotte got a hair under that, while Sam Carrick got $1M. Radek Faksa ($3.25M) and Ryan McLeod ($2.1M) were traded. I get that most of these names aren’t sexy names, but you’re not talking sexy names when you’re looking for a 4th liner who can kill penalties, be defensively responsible, and even win the occasional faceoff. Perhaps that would’ve been a better use of money than $1.8M for Tomas Tatar, who hasn’t seemed to find his place yet on this roster, although the jury is out on that.

Now, maybe this is all moot. The 34-year old Dowling has 100 games worth of NHL experience and has generally looked solid every time I’ve ever watched him play in a Devils sweater. Maybe he takes the ball and runs with it. Maybe if he doesn’t work out, the Devils try Bowers or Schmelzer and have better luck there. Or maybe someone shakes loose on waivers and they put in a claim. Or maybe they make a minor trade. But even if it pans out, stumbling upon a passable solution because of dumb luck isn’t a plan. It’s getting lucky.

Is it the end of the world that Tom Fitzgerald didn’t address this over the summer? No, it is not. Is it a fireable offense? No, it is not. Yes, it is a need, but if the Devils are where we expect them to be come the trade deadline, they’re probably going to address some of these holes at that time. 4th line center just happens to join 2nd line winger at the top of the proverbial wish list. But in the meantime, the Devils will apparently be throwing a whole bunch of stuff at the wall when it comes to having a halfway decent fourth line and seeing what sticks.

First up might be the combination of Tomas Tatar, Justin Dowling, and Nathan Bastian.

Buckle up.