Predators Have Definitive Stance On Jeremy Lauzon Trade Talk

The Nashville Predators and GM Barry Trotz are considering their options as their woeful start to the season continues. A six-game losing streak may be putting some pressure on the front office to make some moves, and Trotz has already threatened once this season to get a "rebuild" going.

One player who is garnering plenty of interest on the trade market is big, physical defenseman Jeremy Lauzon. The 6'3", 225-pounder holds the NHL record for hits in a season and is on a very team-friendly deal, but per insider Elliotte Friedman in his recent 32 Thoughts column, they have "zero" interest in trading him.

There is definite interest in Hit King Jeremy Lauzon, currently out with injury. He's signed for one more year at a very reasonable $2 million. But the organization loves him and has zero desire to go down that road.

Lauzon is currently out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, and was just placed on the IR. But that hasn't stopped the inquiries from coming. And for Lauzon, the hits just keep on coming as well. After setting the record with 383 hits laid out last season, he already has an insane 103 delivered in just 22 games this season. That would have put him on pace to top his record by one.

The 27-year-old doesn't bring much on the offensive end, but doesn't really need to, the way he forces opponents to keep their heads up, potentially taking them off their game. He also blocked 111 shots last season.

So while the Preds will certainly look to make some moves to shake things up, it sounds like it's extremely unlikely that they'd be willing to take the hit of moving on from Lauzon.