Alexandre Texier is stepping away from the Blue Jackets for the time being.
GM Jarmo Kekalainen announced Thursday that the 22-year-old forward has been granted an indefinite leave of absence from the club. Due to a broken finger, Texier last played on Jan. 26 and has been rehabbing his injury.
All the best to Texier, who is dealing with personal matters that will keep him away from the team.
"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," Kekalainen said in a statement issued by the team. "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."
The French native set career highs in goals and points with 11 goals and nine assists through 36 games before his injury. It was a breakout season for the young forward, who seemed to be flourishing in a different role under new head coach Brad Larsen; Texier began on the fourth line and formed an energy-driven group with Sean Kuraly and Eric Robinson before slowly working his way up the lineup.
Our thoughts are with Texier as he mourns the loss of his loved ones.
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/– | PIM | PPG | PPP | SHG | SHP | GWG | OTG | S | S% | FO% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-2019 | CBJ | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16.67 | 0 |
| 2019-2020 | CBJ | 36 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 49 | 12.2 | 36.51 |
| 2020-2021 | CBJ | 49 | 4 | 11 | 15 | -13 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 5.3 | 35.96 |
| 2021-2022 | CBJ | 36 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 18.6 | 35.09 |
| CAREER | 123 | 22 | 27 | 49 | -7 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 189 | 11.6 | 35.8 |
