3 Players That Could Be This Year's "Curtis Lazar" Trade
By Nick Natale
Sonny Milano - Washington Capitals
Our first player on this list is Washington Capitals forward Sonny Milano. Milano, like Lazar, is a former mid-first-round pick who has found a way to have a solid NHL career without putting up high-end offense.
Milano has missed a large portion of this season due to injury, but in 27 games, he's put up 11 points. The numbers are underwhelming, however, in his previous two seasons scored 34 and 33 points respectively. What also puts him in the Curtis Lazar territory is his contract. Milano has two more seasons left at just $1.9 million AAV, an easily digestible number for the Devils.
Outside of his contract, the 27-year-old could be an attractive option for the Devils bottom-six. He brings above-average speed and skill that has been missing from the bottom half of the lineup. Milano has also had a knack for scoring above expected, as well as posting pretty high shooting percentages. In limited action, he's scored 3.2 Goals Above Expected and is shooting at a 27% rate. While that's likely unsustainable, in the previous two seasons, he had a shooting percentage of 14% and 15%.