I don't think he's a lazy player. Maybe he's looked lazy, but I wouldn't say he's one. I watched him on the Rangers and it was actually quite common for him to score/assist in bunches before hitting a bit of a cold streak, and it would cycle back and forth between the two. Maybe with his recent stint on assists, that was what you guys saw - not sure. I realize points isn't the only issue here. Any ways, I do have a few thoughts on him. There's a good chance this gets very long and a bit rambly, so I apologize in advance for that.
I watched the game today and he definitely looked lost out there. Could he still be adjusting? I get that as a well established NHL player, the expectation is that he adjusts more quickly but...I don't know. After playing with the Rangers for ~7 years under Torts and AV, I think it would be quite the challenge to basically jump into an entirely different system, to west coast team, new city, many young kids, and many players of different skill sets than what he's used to. I don't want this to sound like a cop out answer for the way he's played, but I do think it's worth considering.
From the little I have watched and heard, I get the impression that the expectation he would be this huge offensive driver of plays (feel free to correct me). And he does, but I think in just a different way. To give a bit of background, in the recent years with AV's tenure, I find that there was never a real designation of the lines (eg. 1, 2, 3, and 4). If anything, AV had this thing about rolling 3 really good lines and then a fourth line to grind/energize the team. The point I'm trying to make is not to say Stepan isn't a 1C or 2C or whatever. Rather, Stepan was considered a first line center but later, so were guys like Brassard and Zibanejad. They were just deployed during different opportunities.
Maybe that's stating the obvious. But I bring it up because Brassard was definitely the more explosive offensive center, reactive, with incredible play making skills. Stepan I feel as though has always been a bit more reserved and plays a lot more calculated. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, though, rather, depending on what your teams' needs are, you would pick one or the other. The other upside to Stepan was that he was always much more defensively responsible and very good on the PK. Rangers didn't need Brassard to be that calculated and solid two-way center because Stepan was there, and the reverse could be said as well. Though I will say, another thing about Stepan is that he is a bit of a poor skater and it makes me wonder if what you guys are perceiving as "lazy" is just that. He isn't the type to skate around guys, drive super creative plays, etc. Instead, he does rely heavily on his hockey IQ (he did always have a knack for finding the right place at the right time).
Any ways, I think his style of play is maybe an extension from his skating. If you can't skate around guys and go nuts on the ice, maybe you are more inclined to sit back, think, then make the play. As I said, I find he's always been quite calculated and even if you don't really notice him on the ice, the thing that always impressed me was that he was always in the right place at the right time. And this isn't to say he ALWAYS sat back, but again, he wasn't that explosive center the Rangers had...they didn't need him to be because there was Brassard. Perhaps this is why you guys haven't been seeing him be this juggernaut of a explosive 1C and instead, see him "floating around" or "standing and watching". I don't know if that's the expectation for him to be that, but it certainly feels like the case a lot because no one on the team seems to be the key driver of the offense, and I can only imagine that's one big reason why you guys decided to pick him up. But the problem is that when you take too much time to think and when you're being depended on being the main driver of the offense, you can see why it would create some friction from expectation vs. reality.
I agree he hasn't looked great but I honestly do not believe he sucks or is a lazy player. If anything, he genuinely looks lost and confused out there. I do think he's having a pretty hard time adjusting off and on-ice, more than what he might be given credit for.