The Canadiens are continuing to benefit from this smart signing.
The Montreal Canadiens picked up a big 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Jan. 8. With this victory, the Canadiens improved to a 25-13-6 record and are currently in first place in the Atlantic Division standings.
Alexandre Texier was undoubtedly a massive reason for the Canadiens' win, as he put together a monster game. The 26-year-old forward recorded a hat trick for the Habs in their win. With this, there is no question that he stepped up in a major way for the Canadiens against the reigning two-time Stanley Cup champs.
This hat trick performance against the Panthers came after Texier recorded one goal and two assists in the Canadiens' Jan. 7 contest against the Calgary Flames. With this, Texier now has six points over his last two games alone.
With the way Texier is playing right now, it is absolutely clear that the Canadiens made the right move signing him. Texier has also found a great fit with the Canadiens after mutually terminating his previous contract with the St. Louis Blues earlier this season. With this, both the Habs and Texier are benefiting big time since Montreal signed him to a one-year, $1 million deal back in November.
With his big hot streak, Texier now has seven goals, seven assists, 14 points, and a plus-6 rating in 22 games since joining the Canadiens. This is after he had one assist in eight games for the Blues before having his contract terminated.
It will now be intriguing to see how Texier builds on his strong play with the Canadiens from here.