"Recently, Tex has experienced personal losses of people very close to him and our priority right now is to support him in every way possible," said Kekalainen. "We are going to give him the time he needs and look forward to welcoming him back to the Blue Jackets family when he is ready."
Texier, 22, has been sidelined since suffering a fractured finger on January 26 vs. Calgary. The native of Saint-Martin-d'Heres, France has set single-season career highs in goals and points with 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points with 12 penalty minutes, 59 shots and an "even" plus/minus rating, while averaging 14:36 of ice time in 36 contests in 2021-22. Drafted by Columbus in the second round, 45th overall, the 6-1, 186-pound forward has notched 22-27-49 with 44 penalty minutes and 189 shots in 123 career outings since making his NHL debut at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.
