Alexandre Texier is headed into his first full season with the Montreal Canadiens, and the role waiting for him looks pretty clear: support piece first, headline act only when the opportunity opens up. That said, he’s already shown he can handle a bigger stage when the lineup calls for it.
Kent Hughes took a calculated shot on Texier last season after the St. Louis Blues terminated his contract. Montreal brought him in on November 28 with a one-year deal carrying a $1 million AAV, and the fit clicked fast enough that Hughes handed him a two-year extension less than two months later, with a $2.85 million cap hit.
Texier earned that next contract by making himself useful everywhere. When Martin St-Louis moved Juraj Slafkovsky onto the second line with Ivan Demidov, Texier got a look on the top unit alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.
That’s where he scored the first hat trick of his career on January 8 in a 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers. Six days later, the new deal was in place.
By season’s end, Texier had posted 20 points in 43 games with Montreal and added eight points in 19 playoff games. The overall picture is simple enough: he left a strong impression and proved he can slot in up and down the lineup wherever he’s needed. He’s not the ideal answer for a top-six job, but he’s capable of handling it when called on.
There was some criticism at the time that Montreal moved too quickly and paid too much. But with the contracts handed out around the league this season, $2.5 million for a player who can be used all over the lineup starts to look like solid value.
For now, Texier doesn’t look like a top-six favorite entering the season. He should open on the third line, ready to jump on any chance he gets if the Canadiens need him higher in the order. And based on his social media, he’s been training hard and should arrive in strong shape for the start of the year.
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The uncertainty around the Norris Trophy speaks to a broader challenge smaller players have long faced in hockey, where reputation and perception can lag behind actual impact. Hutson has kept working to push past those old biases, but within the Canadiens room the bigger prize still matters most, with the focus firmly on winning the Stanley Cup rather than collecting trophies for one player along the way. [Read more 🡒]
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Canadiens Suddenly Face A Tough Samuel Montembeault Decision
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The latest wrinkle comes from Edmonton, where a sudden goaltending need has put the Oilers back into the mix as a possible fit. Hughes would have to weigh whether the timing is right to revisit that path, especially with cap space tight enough that any deal would likely need more than a simple one-for-one structure. For Montreal, it is another reminder that Montembeaults status is still fluid, and the question is whether the Canadiens want to keep managing that uncertainty or finally turn it into a move. [Read more 🡒]