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Alexandre Texier

Metropolitan Notes: Milano, Texier, Morin

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Despite losing all that forward talent this summer, the Columbus Blue Jackets find themselves in quite a roster jam. With 12 spots all but locked up, there is just one spot remaining for the bubble players. Amongst those is Sonny Milano, the team’s first-round pick in 2014, who looked like a impressive top-six option after the 2017-18 season when he tallied 15 goals as a rookie. However, he found himself instead spending most of 2018-19 with the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL and there is no guarantee that he will make the team this year. To make matters worse, Milano would have to pass through waivers if Columbus decides to cut him from the team, which would almost certainly result in another team claiming him.

The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that the Blue Jackets would prefer to trade him than pass him through waivers, but the market for Milano has been cold. The team could opt to keep him and consider moving on from one of its veteran players, such as Markus Hannikainen or Brandon Dubinsky. However, the team wouldn’t be able to bury Dubinsky in the minors with his $5.85MM salary. However, Hannikainen might be an easier option as he makes just $750K.

  • Sticking with the Blue Jackets, Portzine, in a separate article, writes that Columbus is considering giving former star Artemi Panarin’s first-line position into the hands of rookie Alexandre Texier this season. Panarin, the team’s lead winger last season, left for the New York Rangers over the summer, but the team believes that the 20-year-old may be able to succeed in that role this year. Texier scored one goal in two late regular season games and played in all eight playoff games for Columbus, scoring two goals and three points. The scribe adds that if Texier does win the top-line job, he could become a top candidate for the Calder Trophy.
  • Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi believes that the Philadelphia Flyers are likely to keep eight defensemen out of training camp. The team has a numbers problem with defensemen and with only one of them waiver exempt, Philippe Myers, who is a lock to make the team, the Flyers would have to put a player on waivers, likely Samuel Morin. Philadelphia believes there is a good chance they would lose Morin if they put him on waivers and are more likely to keep the extra defenseman instead.

Alexandre Texier Assigned To AHL

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The NHL playoffs are over for the Columbus Blue Jackets after losing to the Boston Bruins last night, but it won’t be the end of the season for at least one player. Alexandre Texier has been assigned to the Cleveland Monsters who are battling to stay alive in the Calder Cup playoffs.

Texier, 19, has been a welcome surprise for Columbus after they selected him 45th overall in 2017. While there was hope he would one day develop into a legitimate NHL option, Texier had only played in France and was untested against top competition. In the two seasons that followed he grew into one of the most dangerous offensive players in Finland’s Liiga, recording 41 points in 55 games this season before coming to North America. When he joined the Monsters he picked up right where he left off, scoring five goals and seven points in seven games. A call-up to the NHL got him into action right away, and in the playoffs he showed that he will likely be ready to join the Blue Jackets full-time next season.

That’s an impressive player to add to a Monsters playoff run that is on shaky ground. Cleveland is down 0-3 against the defending Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies, and will need some magic tonight to even stay alive. Toronto has outscored Cleveland 11-5 in the series so far and have yet to lose a single playoff game this season.

Blue Jackets Notes: Dzingel, Wennberg, Nutivaara, Nash

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Ryan Dzingel may have wished that he signed a contract extension with the Ottawa Senators after all.

The winger opted against signing a contract extension before the trade deadline, which forced Ottawa to send him to the Columbus Blue Jackets instead. However, the 27-year-old hasn’t fared very well under head coach John Tortorella. He posted just 12 points in 21 games and has been scoreless in five playoff games. In Game 1 of Columbus’ second-round series against Boston, Dzingel only got 11:06 of ice time in an overtime game, the lowest among all forwards. That eventually prompted Tortorella to play Alexander Wennberg, who has long sat in Tortorella’s doghouse, in favor of Dzingel for Game 2, leading to what many believe was a healthy scratch, writes the Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan.

While there was no confirmation that Dzingel was a healthy scratch, Brennan doubts that he is injured as he was one of the last players to leave the ice at the most recent optional skate. In fact Dzingel’s stock, which was quite high at the trade deadline, has dropped significantly and could have a major effect on his next contract. It is looking less and less that the speedy winger who played at Ohio State University will sign a long-term deal in Columbus next year and despite a 26-goal regular season, his suitors seem to be dropping.

  • Speaking of Wennberg, the center, who had been a healthy scratch for seven straight games, fared quite well on the ice Saturday, playing 16:11 on the third line with Alexandre Texier and Oliver Bjorkstrand, according to NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Wennberg could have proven that he belongs back in the lineup permanently as the center was crucial on the penalty kill that held the Bruins to just one goal on four chances.”The kill did a really good job,” Wennberg said. “Personally, it was good to be back out there. I tried to make good reads and have a good stick. It’s good to be out there.”
  • In the same article, Svoboda reports that defenseman Markus Nutivaara could be close to returning to the lineup. While Tortorella won’t talk about lineup changes, Nutivaara skated with the team during an optional practice before Game 2 on Saturday and while he didn’t play Saturday, he could be ready to return to the lineup shortly. Nutivaara suffered an undisclosed injury in Game 2 of their series with Tampa Bay after being boarded by Nikita Kucherov and suspended for a game.
  • Riley Nash, who took an explosive hit from former teammate Zdeno Chara in the first period of Saturday’s game, seems to be OK, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Nash looked shaken up, but was back on the ice not long after the hit. “That was a big hit,” Tortorella said. “It took him a few minutes on the bench, and next thing you know, he’s ready to go. He played a really good game, too, probably one of our most patient guys with the puck, especially on the wall play of our end zone.”

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Alexandre Texier

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are in a battle for a playoff spot with just two games remaining, and have brought up some reinforcements for the final stretch. Adam Clendening has returned from the AHL after just a day, but perhaps more importantly Alexandre Texier has been recalled for the first time. The 19-year old forward has lit up the minor leagues since coming over from Finland after his season there concluded, and presumably will enter the lineup at some point over the next two games. Otherwise it’s tough to explain the recall, since the Cleveland Monsters are in the thick of a playoff race of their own and have two road games coming up on Friday and Saturday.

Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Texier will wear number 42 with the Blue Jackets, and could become just the 12th French-born player to ever suit up in an NHL game.

Originally selected 45th overall in 2017, Texier went to Finland to continue his development and performed quite well even as a rookie. This season he returned to KalPa and exploded for 41 points to lead the team, giving the Blue Jackets hope that he could contribute in North America quickly. After being assigned to the Monsters he has scored five goals and seven points in seven games, and will now get a chance to show what he can do at the NHL level.

If Texier plays well and helps the Blue Jackets into the playoffs there’s a chance he could suit up in the postseason, but the team will have to consider what is at risk. As a 19-year old his contract is still set to slide forward a year, meaning he could burn a year by playing in 10 games or more. That number includes playoff matches, which means they would need to win a round for it to become an issue. That too applies to his expansion draft eligibility, which would only become an issue after 11 games played.

Prospect Notes: Boka, Texier, Rasanen

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According to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, the Iowa Wild have signed Nick Boka to an amateur tryout after his college season came to an end recently, a move that will get him into the organization quickly. Boka still does not have an NHL contract, meaning he would potentially become an unrestricted free agent this August if he can’t come to terms with Minnesota.

A sixth-round pick in 2015, Boka spent four years at the University of Michigan where he amassed 30 points in 147 games. The 21-year old defenseman is a good player in his own end but has never shown a ton of offensive upside, which may limit his potential at the professional level. Still, he’ll get a chance to show the Minnesota brass what he can do down the stretch.

  • As expected, Alexandre Texier has joined the Cleveland Monsters after finishing his season in Finland. Texier will likely get into the lineup either tonight or tomorrow for the Monsters. The 19-year old forward was second among all U20 players in scoring this season in the top Finnish league with 41 points in 55 games and easily led his club. Coming over to North America was the next step in his development track, one which has him speeding towards a Blue Jackets debut in the near future, perhaps even next season.
  • After a recent report surfaced that Eemeli Rasanen had been allowed out of his KHL contract in order to join the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, the AHL Marlies announced a professional tryout with the young defenseman today. Rasanen—and fellow PTO Joseph Duszak—will help the Marlies immensely at this point in the season given how thin their blue line has been stretched due to injury at both the NHL and AHL levels. The 20-year old defenseman was selected 59th overall in 2017 out of the OHL, but continued his development overseas this year.

Blue Jackets Notes: Merzlikins, Bemstrom, Bobrovsky

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It was a busy day for the always-informative Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, reacting to the news that intriguing prospect Alexandre Texier was on his way to North America to join the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and begin his Columbus Blue Jackets career. However, Portzline didn’t stop there, as he had news on a couple more top prospects in the Columbus pipeline. The most pressing report comes out of Switzerland, where Portzline notes star goalie Elvis Merzlikins and his NLA club, HC Lugano, are down 3-0 in their first-round series against EV Zug and on the brink of elimination. Game Four will take place on Saturday and, should that be the end Lugano’s season, it could begin the anticipated move for Merzlikins across the Atlantic. While Merzlikins has struggled against the higher-seeded playoff opponent, it won’t erase the merits of yet another strong regular season for the 24-year-old keeper, who logged a .921 save percentage for the second straight year and a his best goals against average as a starter at 2.44. Merzlikins has developed nicely in Switzerland, but it is time for the promising Latvian netminder to move on. With Sergei Bobrovsky moving on from Columbus as a free agent this summer, Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo are currently the only candidates to take over as starter barring an addition to the roster this off-season. Either way, the exciting young goalie will almost certainly make his NHL debut in 2019-20. Portzline expects Merzlikins to finish the season in North America, but that likely means joining Texier on the Monsters, not supplanting any of the three goalies currently on the Blue Jackets roster.

  • Another top Blue Jackets prospect is not as likely to make the jump to North America this season. Portzline writes that up-and-coming Swedish forward Emil Bemstrom looks unlikely to finish the year with Columbus or an affiliate due to other commitments. Bemstrom’s team in the Swedish Hockey League, Djurgardens IF, are the four seed in the upcoming postseason. The team is likely to be competitive in the first round, if not advance beyond that stage. If and when they are knocked out, Portzline states the Blue Jackets do not expect him to immediately join them. Instead, Portzline believes he could be a candidate to play for Sweden’s entry into the World Championships this spring. A fourth-round pick just two year’s ago, Bemstrom’s rise to top prospect status has been meteoric and has been capped off with an SHL season this year in which he is second in scoring for Djurgardens with 35 points in 47 games at just 19 years old. From relative obscurity, Bemstrom has emerged as arguably the best drafted prospect in Sweden this year and could help Columbus out as early as next season. Just don’t expect the jump in the coming weeks.
  • In a Q&A piece today, Portzline addressed a forgotten issue that may have led to the breakdown in the relationship between Bobrovksy and the Blue Jackets. After a lackluster postseason effort in 2017, many questioned whether Bobrovksy’s head was in the right place. Although no team officials or major media personalities echoed the sentiment, Bobrovsky reacted very negatively to the idea that he “needed a sports psychologist”. Reminded of that ordeal two years later, Portzline writes that this absolutely was a major issue that has plagued Bobrovsky. In fact, after another early exit from the playoffs last year, the comments may have a permanent place in the otherwise stellar goaltender’s head. Portzline has spoken with several Russian media members who have confirmed that the stigma attached to therapy and mental illness in the country is very different than in North America. They believe that the insinuations Bobrovsky faced were very offensive to him and could have led to a desire to leave Columbus. The move now seems inevitable, but given the slight downturn in Bobrovsky’s regular season play this year, one has to wonder if another poor performance in the playoffs further mess with his confidence and perhaps even hurt his value on the open market

Alexandre Texier To Join Cleveland Monsters

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have carefully watched the development of one of their prospects from afar, but will now finally be able to get him into their organization. Alexandre Texier’s season has ended in Finland, and Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the young forward will be joining the Cleveland Monsters on Friday. The Monsters play on Friday and Saturday in Chicago and Rockford against the Wolves and IceHogs respectively. It’s not clear if Texier will be in the lineup for either game.

With two goals and three points in his final game of the season, Texier finishes with an impressive 41 points in 55 games this season for KalPa. That was enough to lead his squad despite his young age, and make for an exciting entrance to North American hockey. Selected 45th overall in 2017, there were some who believed Texier should have gone even higher. The French forward is still just 19 but signed his entry-level deal with the Blue Jackets last spring. Hedger spoke with Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen about the young prospect:

For that age, to do that in that league is special. That’s why he was one of those prospects that under no circumstances was going to be moved at the deadline.

It’s clear that the Blue Jackets gave up some future assets at the deadline for a chance to compete this season, but with Texier and others there is still a substantial prospect pool in Columbus. Other names like Liam Foudy, Emil Bemstrom and Andrew Peeke are still on the way, not to mention Elvis Merzlikins who very well could be the starting goaltender for the Blue Jackets next season.

For a team that could potentially see Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, Sergei Bobrovsky and Ryan Dzingel all walk in free agency this summer, the development of players like Texier is imperative. He’ll take the next step by getting into some AHL action, and see if he can bring the same type of offensive flair to the North American ice.

Alexandre Texier Signs Entry-Level Contract With Columbus Blue Jackets

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According to team beat writer Brian Hedger, the Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Alexandre Texier to his three-year entry-level contract today. Texier recently suited up for France at the IIHF World Championship, and was recently confirmed to be staying overseas for at least one more year. The 18-year old forward prospect spent 2017-18 in Finland, where he registered 22 points in 53 games with KalPa.

Texier was the Blue Jackets’ second-round pick in 2017, and was something of an unknown. Though we’d seen him play in various international tournaments, France was usually in the lower level tournament and his club play was hard to compare. The French league, while improving, isn’t at the level of the NLA, SHL or Liiga. Texier then was scouted on his raw ability, which for him was enough to intrigue the Blue Jackets’ front office. GM Jarmo Kekalainen had this to say:

Alexandre is a very smart, skilled player with a very good shot and extraordinary vision to make plays all over the ice. He is a young player who had a very good rookie season with KalPa and we are excited to watch his continued development as he gets bigger and stronger physically.

The 6’1″ forward has the ability to carry the puck through and around defenders while at top speed, and can score in a variety of different ways. Though there is a long road ahead of him before he will be suiting up in the NHL, his first year at a higher level of competition went about as well as it could have. Columbus will be keeping a close eye on him this season to see if his strength and poise improve for KalPa, after which he could come to North America in 2019-20.

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