"Gregory was given permission by the club to step away for personal reasons and informed us today that because of those reasons he has decided not to return," said Kekalainen. "Obviously, we are disappointed, but we have no other recourse than to suspend him."
Hofmann, 29, was acquired in a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 13, 2021 and signed a one-year contract with the Blue Jackets on June 14, 2021 after spending the previous 11 seasons in Switzerland's NLA. He appeared in 24 games with the club, registering two goals and five assists for seven points with eight penalty minutes and a +6 plus/minus rating. His last appearance with the team was December 14 at Vancouver.
