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Alexandre Texier

Montreal Canadiens Sign Alexandre Texier

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After his contract was terminated by St. Louis earlier today, Alexandre Texier has moved quickly, as per NHL agent Dan Milstein, he is headed to Montreal on a one-year deal. 

Per the team, the contract is worth $1MM, and runs to the end of the 2025-26 season.

The news does not come as much of a surprise, as Texier was long linked to Montreal throughout the process of working through his issues with the Blues. It had been thought that another Eastern Conference team was interested, perhaps Ottawa, but the Canadiens close in on Texier to slot in as a bottom-six upgrade.

Texier’s path to Montreal is not a very common one, as he did not report to AHL Springfield while still a member of the Blues and needed termination to find a fresh start. Both sides are surely happy to simply move on. Drafted by Columbus 45th overall in 2017, the French forward flashed serious skill in small sample sizes, including an 11-goal, 20-point effort in just 36 games in 2021-22. However, it became apparent Texier had a more bottom-six suited future in the NHL, still bringing valuable speed and versatility.

As the Blue Jackets turned the corner with a new wave of forwards, Texier became expendable at just 24. Given that he had set career highs in points and games played, St. Louis came calling, giving up just a fourth-round pick for Texier, and promptly signing him to a two-year deal w0rth $2.1MM per season in July 2024.

Unfortunately for both sides, it was not a fit. Texier battled through injuries at times and only played in 31 games last season. This year things have not gone any better, as he has been passed up, out of favor with Head Coach Jim Montgomery, and appearing scarcely as a pure fourth liner. While many in Texier’s situation become disgruntled from a lack of offensive opportunities, Texier lost his role as a penalty killer with the Blues which was surely frustrating, a role he’ll likely regain with Montreal with highly realistic changes of succeeding.

Whatever the case, the Blues are content to move on without anything in return, coming out respectably considering the little they paid for Texier in the first place. Meanwhile, Montreal adds a motivated speedy forward to their bottom six as their exciting young core looks to make a push for the postseason this spring. Texier will have time to become acquainted with his new team as they are out action until Wednesday, and he could look to debut at some point in the team’s upcoming three game road trip.

Blues Terminate Alexandre Texier’s Contract

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Nov. 23: After much back-and-forth, the Alexander Texier Blues stalemate has reached an end. As expected, the St. Louis forward cleared waivers, and as per the team, his contract has been terminated. Texier is now an unrestricted free agent. The Montreal Canadiens are known as to having interest, the likely favorite to land the speedy two-way winger, with another unknown Eastern Conference team in the running. This morning it was noted that the Ottawa Senators have also expressed interest, but it is unclear if they are the second suitor.

Nonetheless, we will likely find out soon, as Texier is healthy, and likely eager to sign quickly and make an impact with his new club.

Nov. 22: Texier did not report to the minors and he has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, reports Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.  If he passes through unclaimed as expected on Sunday at 1:00 PM CT, he will become an unrestricted free agent and his $2.1MM AAV will be off the books for the Blues entirely.

He clearly has gotten a head start on talking to other teams even while still signed with St. Louis.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that nine teams are believed to have shown interest in signing Texier when he hits the open market but Texier and his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Sports Management have whittled the field down to two Eastern Conference teams.

Nov. 21: Texier has cleared waivers after being placed on them yesterday and has been assigned to AHL Springfield, the team announced. If he fails to report to the minors, he’ll be in breach of contract and can trigger a contract termination.

Nov. 20: Texier has considered asking for a contract termination to become an unrestricted free agent, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He remains on the Blues’ roster for now but has played just once since Oct. 28, sitting as a healthy scratch in nine of their last 10 games.

Texier, the first player in NHL history drafted directly from France’s Ligue Magnus, signed a two-year, $4.2MM contract with the Blues in June 2024 after they acquired his signing rights from the Blue Jackets. He was coming off a career-high 12 goals and 30 points in 78 games with Columbus, averaging north of 15 minutes per game, but the team wasn’t interested in re-signing him as they opened roster spots for a younger wave of prospects.

The 26-year-old just hasn’t been a fit in St. Louis. He made only 31 appearances last season and lost 15 games to illness and injury, meaning he spent nearly half the year in the press box. When dressed, he delivered career-average production on a per-game basis, notching six goals and five assists for 11 points. He did so in reduced ice time, averaging closer to 12:30 per game, as his role as a penalty killer in Columbus was stripped entirely from him with the Blues.

This season, Texier’s ice time has been slashed further to 10:15 per game. He’s only made eight out of 20 possible appearances, on track to finish with a similar workload to last season. Skating most commonly in fourth-line deployment with Nick Bjugstad and Nathan Walker, he’s logged one assist and nine hits. Perhaps more importantly, his chance generation is way down. He averaged 1.61 shots on goal per game last year – even more than he managed during his breakout year in Columbus – but that figure has nearly halved to 0.88 in 2025-26.

A contract termination would allow Texier to be uninhibited by his above-market-value $2.1MM cap hit as he looks for a new home. Still, he would be walking away from roughly 75% of his identical base salary for this season to do so. Whether he desires to remain in the NHL also remains to be seen. He’s made a move back to Europe before to be closer to his family in France, asking the Blue Jackets to spend the 2022-23 season on loan to Switzerland’s ZSC Lions, which they granted.

Morning Notes: Texier, Misa, Skinner, McCabe

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While St. Louis Blues forward Alexandre Texier is not yet a free agent as he awaits word on whether he’s cleared unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination, that hasn’t stopped reporters from getting info on which teams are most likely to land the 26-year-old’s services once he becomes a free agent as is expected. On yesterday’s Saturday Headlines segment on Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman reported that “the favorite” to land Texier at this point is the Montreal Canadiens.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun did report yesterday that Texier’s representatives are deciding between two Eastern Conference teams, and with Friedman naming the Canadiens as a favorite, it appears one of those two teams has been revealed. The Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch reported yesterday that the Ottawa Senators expressed interest in acquiring Texier, but it’s unclear at this time whether they’re one of the two finalists. Texier’s tenure as a St. Louis Blue was unequivocally a disappointment, as he played just 39 games across two seasons and scored just 12 points. While he might not seem like the kind of player who would merit this kind of league wide attention as a free agent, it’s worth noting that Texier did score 30 points in 78 games in 2023-24. But perhaps more importantly, it’s very difficult at this early stage of the season for teams to add external talent that is NHL-caliber. The fact that Texier is available for just a small cap hit investment (and doesn’t carry the additional asset cost associated with a trade) is likely contributing to the high level of interest in his services. As NHL teams grapple with injuries testing their depth, the chance to add an NHL-ready bottom-six forward for a small amount of cap space is an opportunity most teams likely want to take advantage of.

Other notes from across the NHL:

  • San Jose Sharks forwards Michael Misa and Jeff Skinner are inching closer to a return to the ice, Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group reported yesterday. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky told the media yesterday that both Misa and Skinner have resumed skating, and while Skinner is currently ahead of Misa in his recovery, Warsofsky is hopeful both will be back participating in practice by the end of next week. Misa, 18, was the No. 2 overall pick at this most recent NHL Entry Draft, and has three points through seven games this season. Getting healthy and back on the ice is arguably more important for Skinner, who is a pending UFA playing out a one-year, $3MM deal. Skinner, who scored 29 points in 72 games in 2024-25, has seven points in 17 games so far this year.
  • It was a difficult night for the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday as they lost 5-2 to their arch rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, and now sit second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, one point above the Buffalo Sabres, who have a game in hand. Making last night’s game worse was the fact that veteran defenseman Jake McCabe left the game due to an upper-body injury, according to a team announcement. While we await an update revealing the extent of McCabe’s injury, it’s clear any extended absence for McCabe would be a major loss for Toronto. The team is already dealing with an injury to veteran Chris Tanev, and losing McCabe for any duration of time would mean the Maple Leafs would lose one of their most relied-upon defensemen. McCabe ranks second on the team among defensemen in time-on-ice per game, and leads Toronto defensemen in shorthanded time-on-ice per game.

Blues Activate Jake Neighbours, To Place Alexandre Texier On Waivers

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The Blues announced that they’ve activated left-winger Jake Neighbours from injured reserve. Forward Alexandre Texier was moved to the non-roster list to open up an active roster spot. He will be placed on waivers for assignment to AHL Springfield, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported earlier Thursday that Texier was considering asking for a contract termination. If he clears waivers and fails to report to Springfield, that would give the Blues cause to trigger termination proceedings and place him on unconditional waivers.

Neighbours will return to the lineup tonight in Philadelphia significantly ahead of schedule. The 2020 first-rounder hasn’t played since sustaining a right leg injury against the Red Wings on Oct. 25 following a two-goal effort, and the Blues initially prognosticated he’d miss at least five weeks. That would have punted his return to the first week of December, but instead, he’s back healthy before Thanksgiving.

Before the injury, Neighbours was on a tear. The 23-year-old had rattled off six goals and an assist through eight games – all at even strength – while finishing at a 50% clip. Even with the missed time, that hot streak should have him well on his way to record his third consecutive 20-goal season. Neighbours had been stapled to Robert Thomas’ left wing to start the year. It’s hard to imagine the Blues removing him from that post, considering his early-season success, indicating Dylan Holloway will be shifted back to a middle-six role after seeing some time alongside Thomas.

Getting him back is a massive boon for a team that’s had nightmarish offensive output as they reach the first-quarter point of their schedule. Neighbours’ six goals are still tied with Jordan Kyrou for the team lead, and their 2.75 goals per game rank 26th in the league. Since Neighbours left the lineup, that figure drops to 29th place at 2.58 per game.

As for Texier, this is presumably the beginning of the end of his time in St. Louis. Beginning at 1:00 p.m. CT, the league’s other 31 teams will have the chance to pick up the remainder of Texier’s expiring deal at a $2.1MM cap hit if they so choose. If he clears and doesn’t report to Springfield, he’ll then land on unconditional waivers and become a free agent after another 24-hour waiting period, after which he can sign a prorated deal for cheaper with another team for the remainder of the season. St. Louis went through the same process last season with Brandon Saad.

Central Notes: Heinola, Dickinson, Blues, Wilsby

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It has been a rough few years for Jets defenseman Ville Heinola.  Once considered one of their top prospects, frequent injuries derailed that and now that he’s waiver-blocked, even playing time is hard to come by.  Accordingly, Sportsnet’s Jacob Stoller argues that the time is right to move the 23-year-old even though his value is at an all-time low.  Heinola has been a frequent healthy scratch in recent weeks and has just one assist in 16 games with Winnipeg when he has played this season.  With the Jets atop the standings in the West, it stands to reason that they’re going to look to add some defensive depth before next month’s trade deadline which will push Heinola further down the depth chart and possibly out of a roster spot altogether.  Accordingly, perhaps it makes sense to take what they could get for him now over potentially losing him for nothing later on via waivers.

More from the Central:

  • Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson will be out a little longer than originally anticipated. Head coach Anders Sorensen told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link) that the middleman will likely be out a couple of weeks after the break due to a high left ankle sprain.  After a breakout effort that saw him pot 22 goals and 35 points last season, Dickinson has been quieter offensively this year with just seven goals and nine assists through 53 games.
  • The Blues could have winger Alexandre Texier back in the lineup on Saturday versus Chicago, relays NHL.com’s Lou Korac (Twitter link). He missed Thursday’s game versus Florida due to illness.  It has been a bit of a quiet first year in St. Louis for Texier as he has just nine points in 27 games while averaging a career-low 12:35 per contest so far.  Meanwhile, Korac adds that Tyler Tucker’s upper-body injury will keep him out of the lineup for at least one more game.  The defenseman has missed the last two games after leaving early on Sunday against Utah.  He has two goals and two assists in 19 NHL appearances so far.
  • The Predators announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Adam Wilsby was scratched tonight versus Chicago due to an upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day.  The 24-year-old has impressed in his first season at the top level, logging over 18 minutes a night through his first 23 outings.  Nashville has one more game before the break, that coming on Saturday so it’s possible they rest Wilsby for that one, allowing him two full weeks of recovery time.

Central Injury Notes: Texier, Faksa, Martinez, Smith, Bortuzzo

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Lou Korac of The Hockey News reported earlier that forward Alexandre Texier would be a game-time decision for the St. Louis Blues this afternoon. Additionally, Korac shared that bottom-six forward Radek Faksa would miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury.

Texier has been battling an illness and missed St. Louis’ recent game against the Nashville Predators on Friday. He’s apparently all set to go as the Blues organization later confirmed that they’ve welcomed Texier back to the active roster for this afternoon’s game. He’ll join Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas on the team’s first line and look to build upon his two-goal, five-point effort this season.

Despite being absent for nearly 10 days, Faksa isn’t expected to miss much longer. His lower-body injury was suffered in the Blues’ overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on December 20th but the team never placed him on the injured reserve. Faksa has added two goals and seven points in 30 games to the St. Louis roster this year.

Other injury news from the Central Division:

  • The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to reintroduce a pair of veteran players into the lineup. According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, defenseman Alec Martinez and forward Craig Smith have been downgraded to day-to-day and are expected back soon. Both players have missed nearly a month for the Blackhawks with separate injuries. Chicago only has one open roster spot in the NHL meaning they’ll need to make at least one roster move to pave the way for both player’s activation.
  • Utah Hockey Club’s blue line has been decimated by injuries this season but one veteran talent is expected back soon. Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune reports that defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has fully participated in back-to-back practices and is nearly healed from a lower-body injury. Utah never formally placed Bortuzzo on the team’s injured reserve but he hasn’t played since December 10th.

Blues Place Nick Leddy On IR, Activate Alexandre Texier

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The Blues announced today that they’ve placed defenseman Nick Leddy on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. It’s presumably retroactive to his last appearance on Oct. 15 against the Wild, so he’ll be eligible to return whenever he’s cleared to play. He remains day-to-day, so his absence shouldn’t stretch for too much longer. They’ve filled his roster spot with forward Alexandre Texier, who’s coming off IR and will play tonight against the Jets, he told NHL.com’s Lou Korac.

Before Leddy’s injury, it was a tough start to the season for him. The 33-year-old went without a point and posted a -3 rating in four appearances, including a team-leading eight giveaways at the time of his injury. While he averaged over 22 minutes per game, he’s arguably already been usurped as the team’s top left-shot defender by Philip Broberg, who’s on an early-season tear with six points and a +6 rating through six games.

Texier, 25, will suit up tonight for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury in St. Louis’ season opener against the Kraken two weeks ago. The offseason trade pickup from the Blue Jackets had an assist and two shots in 13:03 of ice time in his Blues debut. He’s coming off a career-high 12 goals and 30 points in 78 games for Columbus last year.

West Notes: Karlsson, Texier, Hartman

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The Vegas Golden Knights received positive news on the injury front as forward William Karlsson returned to the ice this morning in a non-contact jersey (X Link). He didn’t skate with any of the team’s forward lines suggesting he won’t suit up tomorrow night but a follow-up report indicated he could return to the lineup by Friday.

Karlsson hasn’t skated in a month after suffering an undisclosed injury during the preseason. Aside from vague updates every few weeks, the Golden Knights organization hasn’t offered any specifics about his injury. Since he didn’t factor into any preseason games this September, Karlsson’s last game with Vegas was Game Seven of the team’s Round One series loss against the Dallas Stars in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Karlsson’s imminent return couldn’t come at a better time for the Golden Knights with winger Victor Olofsson going down with a lower-body injury. Vegas may be light up front tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Kings but should have a formidable top-six against the Ottawa Senators on Friday of this week should Karlsson return.

Other West notes:

  • A formal roster move from the St. Louis Blues is expected tomorrow as Lou Korac of The Hockey News reports Alexandre Texier should be activated from injured reserve for the team’s contest tomorrow night. The Blues have a full 23-man roster at the moment meaning one player will have to be demoted to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, or placed on injured reserve in some capacity. Defenseman Nick Leddy should be a popular candidate for the latter option as the veteran defenseman hasn’t suited up since October 15th after sustaining a lower-body injury.
  • Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports reports Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He was originally designated as a game-time decision for the team’s most recent game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and it now appears the injury is mildly more severe than anticipated. The upper-body ailment shouldn’t keep him out of the lineup too much longer as Hartman looks to expand on his two goals in four games to start the season.

Blues Place Alexandre Texier On IR, Activate Brandon Saad

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The St. Louis Blues have placed forward Alexandre Texier on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. In a corresponding move, St. Louis has also activated forward Brandon Saad after he missed the start of the year to attend to the birth of his third child. The two forwards will likely swap spots in the lineup as St. Louis prepares for their home opener on October 15th.

Texier was one of many new faces added to the Blues offense this summer, with St. Louis acquiring him via trade from Columbus and signing him to a two-year, $4.2MM contract extension. That figure was likely helped along by Texier’s career-high 12 goals and 30 points from last season, continuing his gradual climb up Columbus’ scoring charts. Texier started his North American career with seven AHL games in 2018-19. He was quickly called up after scoring at a point-per-game pace, but couldn’t do much to carve out a consistent role in the lineup. Texier would appear in just 121 of a possible 220 games for Columbus between 2019 and 2022, despite being on the roster full-time. Still, he showed flashes of scoring upside through the spot starts, scoring 21 goals and 48 points through the three seasons.

Texier finally received a daily role last season and seemed to meet his expectations as a depth scorer, though his daunting 3.3 xGA/60 (expected goals-against per-60 minutes) ranked worst among all Blue Jackets forwards last season, per Evolving Hockey. A change of scenery was meant to be the catalyst for Texier to continue earning a daily role. He’s earned it so far, recording an assist in his Blues debut, but he’ll now have to wait at least a week before continuing to fight for his spot in the lineup.

Texier will also now face the pressure of the veteran Saad, who managed an impressive 26 goals and 42 points from St. Louis’ middle-six last season, while appearing in all 82 games. Saad – once a two-time Stanley Cup winner in Chicago – has become St. Louis’ go-to glue guy over the last three seasons, capable of handling roles from third-line center to net-crasher on the top power-play unit. He’s totaled 128 points in 231 games with the Blues, including goal totals of 24, 19, and 26 respectively through his three seasons. Saad will enter his 14th NHL season when he returns to the Blues lineup, boasting 499 points through 863 career games.

Central Notes: Rantanen, Drouin, Texier, Bourque

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We’ve seen some prominent unrestricted free agents sign early extensions over the past few months.  One that some expected to do so is Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen but an agreement isn’t in place yet.  In the latest TSN Insider Trading segment, Pierre LeBrun relayed that there appears to still be a gap to be bridged between the two sides with Colorado potentially using Mikko Rantanen’s $12.6MM AAV as an internal cap on an offer.  Rantanen – who kicked off his platform year with a hat-trick – has surpassed the 100-point mark in two straight years, putting him in line for a sizable raise on his current $9.25MM AAV; it’s possible that he breaks the record for the highest AAV for a winger (Rangers winger Artemi Panarin holds it with a $11.643MM cap charge).

More from the Central Division:

  • Still with the Avalanche, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette that winger Jonathan Drouin will miss at least the next two games with an upper-body injury. It’s another tough blow for a Colorado winger group that’s currently without Valeri Nichushkin, Gabriel Landeskog, and Artturi Lehkonen.  The 29-year-old had a career-high 56 points last season and logged more than 21 minutes in their season opener and will be re-assessed early next week to determine how much more time he might miss.
  • The Blues announced (Twitter link) that winger Alexandre Texier is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Louis acquired the 25-year-old in the offseason from Columbus after he put up a career-best 30 points in 78 games and quickly signed him to a two-year, $4.2MM contract.  Texier had an assist in their season-opening victory over Seattle but missed Thursday’s win over San Jose.
  • The Stars are hoping that winger Mavrik Bourque will be able to suit up in one of their games this weekend, relays Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). The 22-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury but did skate today.  Bourque was the top scorer in the AHL last season, notching 26 goals and 51 assists in 71 games while also suiting up twice for Dallas, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs.

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