Texier earning bigger role for Blue Jackets
Alexandre Texier's ice time jumped off the stat sheet.
Following the Blue Jackets' 4-3 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday at Nationwide Arena, the 21-year-old center had logged a whopping 23:15 on 27 shifts that included 10 minutes on 11 shifts in the third period.
Most of those minutes in the third were spent matched up against the Blackhawks' top line, which includes superstar Patrick Kane and high-scoring Alex Debrincat.
“He was playing well,” coach John Tortorella said, prior to the Blue Jackets' game Thursday at the Dallas Stars. “He was doing a lot of the checking. I tried to have him out against ‘Kaner' and Debrincat and whoever else they had out there … and toward the end of the game, I wanted to make sure we at least get a point out of that game as the time's winding down. So, he played a lot of minutes during that time.”
Texier logged 3:59 of the final 8:28 of the third period, after Patrik Laine's breathtaking end-to-end goal tied it 3-3 with 8:28 left in regulation. Texier skated half of the remaining minutes to help get the game to overtime and earn a point, basically going back over the boards every other shift.
It was another example of Texier developing into the kind of trusted NHL center the Blue Jackets desperately need, after returning from a “NON-COVID illness” in March plus a brief stint on the taxi squad for a lull in his play. Multiple injuries and trades the past week have also opened a path for younger players to get increased roles.
“With so many people gone, it gives him that opportunity and it gives us a chance to look at him,” Tortorella said. “Can he handle those type of situations? I thought he handled himself very well (against the Blackhawks), as you see the minutes that I gave him.”
Lehtonen scratched
Mikko Lehtonen was a problem in the Kontinental Hockey League.
After racking up 49 points (17 goals, 32 assists) in 60 games for Jokerit last year, the Finnish defenseman was even better this season on a loan agreement. Prior to starting his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Lehtonen had eight goals, nine assists and 17 points in 17 games for the Helsinki-based team.
Lehtonen was a point-a-game defenseman, which isn't easy to do in any league, but Tortorella has yet to see the offensive side with the Blue Jackets, who acquired the 27-year-old blueliner March 12 from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I don't want him to be afraid to make mistakes,” said Tortorella, who scratched Lehtonen on Thursday in Dallas to get rookie Andrew Peeke in the lineup. “I'd like to see a little bit more offense out of him. I want to see him score a goal. I want to see him have that mindset of trying to create something offensively.”
Tortorella said Lehtonen has played solid defensively and likes the way he moves the puck out of the defensive zone. Adding offense is the next step in his transition to the NHL. Lehtonen had three assists in nine games for Toronto and hasn't recorded a point in eight games with Columbus.
Defensive mindset
Josh Dunne went into his first NHL game with a clear strategy as the center of the Blue Jackets' fourth line against the Stars.
“I'm a big body,” said Dunne, who's listed 6 feet 4, 210 pounds. “I just want to use my body, be physical, be on the (defensive) side of the puck and just make it as hard as I can for them, just make it difficult — be a thorn in their side the whole game.”
Dunne has plenty of experience in that role at the collegiate level, where he earned the designation of ECAC Defensive Forward of the Year in 2019 for Clarkson, where he played three seasons prior to signing with the Blue Jackets in March. bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger