Brandon Dubinsky said Monday he left the Columbus Blue Jackets last week "to look after himself," but declined to dive further into details as he closes in on his return to the team's lineup.

"It feels good,” Dubinsky told the Columbus Dispatch of being back on the ice with his teammates Monday. “I had to deal with some medical issues for myself. It’s nice to be back in practice and have the opportunity to try to play (Tuesday).”

“I came home to look after myself,” Dubinsky said of leaving the team's road trip early last week. “I had some stuff going on, and I just had to take care of it.”

The Athletic reported the 31-year-old, who has been sidelined since Dec. 12 due to a fracture orbital bone, was sent home by the club to deal with personal issues which were considered career-threatening. The Blue Jackets and Dubinsky's agent both refuted the report, though Dubinsky declined to dive into details on Monday.

“You guys can speculate all you want. That’s up to you,” Dubinsky said. “I’m telling you what I’m going to tell you. We’re people, too. We have stuff that is private to us and we want to keep that way. So, that’s just the way it’s going to be.”

“I’ve been around long enough. I’ve seen the media say all sorts of things about all sorts of players, so it’s not just me," he added of the speculation. "You’ve got to have a thick skin when you play sports and you’re in the public.”

The Anchorage, Alaska, native has been limited to 31 games this season due to injuries.

“I’ve always said I feel like a big part of this team, an important part of this team,” Dubinsky said. “I’ve had some big injuries this year, some scary injuries. I just want to make sure when I get back, that I’m here to stay and everything’s good to go... Hopefully, I can provide a spark for this lineup and we can continue on our way.”

He will make his return to the lineup Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild.