Alexandre Texier will not join the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2022-23 season per the advice of the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program, the team announced Wednesday.
Texier, a forward, will not be paid by the club and his salary will not count against the salary cap. He will be allowed to sign a one-year contract to play in Europe for the 2022-23 season. Texier was granted an indefinite leave of absence in March after being sidelined with a fractured finger in Jan. 26 against Calgary.
“During the past year, I have experienced some personal issues and challenges and I feel I need to be close to my family at this time,” Texier said in a statement. “I have love and respect for the city of Columbus, the Blue Jackets, and the fans as everyone has always treated me first-class. I truly appreciate the support, help and empathy I have received from team management, the coaching staff, doctors , trainers and my teammates. This was a hard decision, but it is the best one for me right now.”
Texier was granted the leave of absence after the deaths of two close family members and has shown his closeness with his family in the past. In October 2020, after planning to join KalPa in the Finnish Liiga while the NHL awaited a plan for the 2020-21 season, Texier returned to his native Grenoble to be close to home while a family member battled an illness.
Last season, Texier set career highs in goals and points with 11 goals and nine assists. He was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the second round of the 2017 NHL draft and has recorded 22 goals and 27 assists in 123 games.
In late July, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen indicated that the plan remained for Texier to return to Columbus this fall. Texier played for France at the IIHF World Championships in May and appeared on track to resume his NHL career.
“He was probably our best forward at the time he took the leave of absence,” Kekalainen said July 23. “We’ve been in contact with him regularly and constantly and we hope that he’s back and feeling good and taking another step in his career. He took a huge step in his career last year, was playing great. That’s what we expect from him next year.”
But in a recent conversation with Kekalainen, Texier made it known that his feelings had changed and he wasn’t yet ready to return to Columbus.
“Alexandre Texier and I recently had a very long conversation in which he indicated to me that he was not ready to resume his career in the NHL at this time,” Kekalainen said in a statement. “While we are disappointed Tex will not be joining us for the 2022-23 season as we anticipated, his mental health and well-being remain our top priority and we will continue to support him in any way we can.”