OTTAWA - The Ottawa Senators ( @Senators ) announced today that they have reduced their training roster to 23 players by assigning forward Curtis Lazar to the team's American Hockey League affiliate in Binghamton.

"We received some good news regarding Curtis on Monday in that he has been medically cleared to take contact," said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. "Knowing that, we then met with the coaches and player and made the decision that the best and fastest way for him to get ready to both play and succeed in the NHL is for him to go to Binghamton. He'll have the opportunity there to immediately play big minutes and in all situations, something that is necessary for him to get back into game shape."

"We feel that Curtis is an important part of our team, but given that he's been unable to participate in games or to take any contact in training camp, we know this is the best move to get him ready to be able to be a big contributor in Ottawa. We expect to have him back here soon."

Lazar, 21, was the Senators' first-round choice (17th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft. In 143 games over the last two seasons with Ottawa, he has scored 12 goals while adding 23 assists and 32 penalty minutes.

The Senators training camp roster is now composed of 23 players: two goaltenders, seven defencemen and 14 forwards.

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