And as even Texier has acknowledged, it's bringing the game on a consistent basis that has been the biggest step forward for the young Frenchman. He has wowed at times previously in his Blue Jackets career, including scoring two goals in the Game 4 sweep clincher vs. Tampa Bay in 2019 as well as the start of last season when he had four goals in the first seven games and debuted his viral "firepoker" shootout goal in that span as well.
But the bright spots have been matched by times where he just wasn't as productive, including a 42-game streak without a goal to conclude the 2021 season. As a result, Texier entered this campaign with 11 goals and 29 points in 87 career games.
Those aren't bad numbers for such a young player, but it also felt there was more there, especially considering Texier was a highly touted second-round pick and someone who showed the ability to score on a consistent basis in Finland before coming to join the Blue Jackets. And it felt like another topsy-turvy year might be in the cards when Texier scored on the first shift of this season, then had zero goals and just one shot on goal in the next four games.
But after being moved to a line with Sean Kuraly and Eric Robinson, Texier saw his game bloom. In a 22-game stretch from Nov. 6 to Jan. 13, he had nine goals and 18 points in 22 games, notching at least one point in 15 of those contests and earning a promotion to higher spots in the lineup.
"Tex was arguably our best player the last month, month plus," head coach Brad Larsen said in early January when Texier had to leave the lineup because of COVID protocols. "He's found a sweet spot. It was never an effort thing -- we've beat that point to death. He always tried. It was trying to calm his mind and believe in himself, believe in his game, making plays.
"There's touch plays he never used to make where he'd fire a pass from 10 feet away, which didn't make sense at the time. Now he's starting to sense those plays and execute them, and he's getting rewarded. He's building trust in the situations I'm putting him in."