Alexandre Texier is about to start his first full season with the Montreal Canadiens, and while he should be playing a support role, he may get opportunities to take center stage at times this season.
Last season, Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes made a smart move when he signed Alexandre Texier, whose contract had just been terminated by the St. Louis Blues, to a one-year contract with a $1 million AAV for the remainder of the season. He joined the Habs on November 28 and impressed so much that, less than two months later, Hughes signed him to a two-year contract extension with a $2.85 million cap hit.
When coach Martin St-Louis decided to play Juraj Slafkovsky on the second line with Ivan Demidov, he was one of the players who got a shot on the top line with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. It was with them that he was able to score the first hat trick of his career on January 8 in a 6-2 win against the Florida Panthers. Just six days later, he signed his new contract.
At the end of the season, he had 20 points in 43 games with the Habs and eight points in 19 playoff games. Overall, he has made a strong impression in town and has shown that he can be played anywhere up and down the lineup, depending on where he’s needed. In an ideal world, he’s not on your top-six, but he can still prove up to the challenge in spots.
While some lamented that the extension was signed too quickly and for too much money, after seeing the kind of contracts that have been given this season, $2.5 million for a Swiss Army knife you can use anywhere in the lineup is a good value for money.
Heading into the season, Texier is not a favourite to play in the top six, but should the need to do so arise, he will be ready to capitalize on every opportunity. According to his social media accounts, the Frenchman has been training hard this season and should be in tip-top shape for the start of the season. He’ll likely start the season on the third line, waiting for another opportunity to make his mark on the top six.
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