Alexandre Texier

Texier requested and was granted a leave of absence from the Blue Jackets in the summer of 2022 and spent last year playing in Switzerland, where he was very good (13 goals, 35 points in 46 games). Texier has already announced his intention to return to Columbus for the upcoming season, where he should be in line for a role as a bottom-six regular for the club. Texier is just 24 years of age and has shown flashes in the past, so he's definitely worth monitoring, but that's about as far as it goes from a fantasy standpoint.

Texier has been talked about as a potential breakout candidate for a couple seasons, but nothing has materialized to date. He has just 10 goals and 28 points in 85 games over that period, including just one point with the man advantage. Any potential upside Texier still has is the direct result of the fact he will turn just 22 years of age prior to the start of the 2021-22 campaign. He should have a meaningful role on what will be a thin Columbus roster, but taking a player with no history of production on a middling club is a recipe for fantasy disaster.

A back injury suffered in the last game of 2019 cost him significant playing time, but before he got hurt Texier was teasing the talent that made him a second-round pick in 2017. The 21-year-old's speed and puck handling puts plenty of pressure on the opposition defense, and while he still needs to bulk up, he doesn't seem to shy away from physical play. The offseason additions of Max Domi, Mikko Koivu and Mikhail Grigorenko could cement Texier's spot on a wing, but that likely gives him a clearer path to a top-six role, especially with Gustav Nyquist set to miss the first few months of the campaign. He's likely not on the fantasy radar yet in most formats, but Texier could supply the Columbus offense with some much-needed skill this season.

A second-round pick in 2017, Texier made his NHL debut at the end of last season as a teenager and then stayed in the lineup through the playoffs, capping his efforts with a two-goal performance in the series-clinching win over the Lightning. Blazingly fast and possessing soft hands and dazzling puck-handling skills, Texier still needs to bulk up and he has limited experience against top-end opponents, but with the team looking to inject more skill up front following the offseason departures of Artemi Panarin and others, a strong showing in training camp could win him a regular shift in Columbus as a 19-year-old.