Jeremy Lauzon's Injury Timeline Just Got A Whole Lot Longer for the Predators

The NHL's 'Hit King' just took a major hit of his own, as Jeremy Lauzon learned on Tuesday that his timeline for recovery from his lower-body injury has been significantly increased, to four-to-six months. His season is over.

Only a month ago, Lauzon was listed among potential trade candidates for the Predators by team beat writer Alex Daugherty, though the team likely had "zero interest" in actually dealing him, insisted hockey insider Elliotte Friedman at the time.

Lauzon, a 6'3" defenseman who loves to play the body, last suited up with Nashville on Dec. 31st, though only managed to get in six minutes of ice time before his night ended. He was placed on IR a week later, and was said to be "week to week." Today it was confirmed that he is now out for the season.

In 2023-24, Lauzon set the NHL single-season record by delivering 386 hits in his 79 games. This year, in just 28 games played, he already had registered 127 hits, which would have put him on a similar pace for 370 hits if he had had a full year. But a 10-game absence earlier in the season, and now this, will rob him of 54 games this campaign.

Lauzon has one more year left on his $2 million cap hit. Friedman has stated that the Predators "love him", and have no interest in trading him. Next season he'll be on an expiring deal with pending unrestricted free agency, so we'll see how they deal with that a few months from now, and perhaps an extension will even be worked out.