Marc Dumont
When the Montreal Canadiens signed Alexandre Texier to a two-year deal that following his contract termination with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the expectations were quite realistic.
The Habs needed to add depth to the mix, and Texier had the potential to possibly help out in the top six should the need arise.
His new contract is a two-year deal that carried a $2.5 million annual average value (AAV), which meant it was the epitome of a low-risk situation.
On the flip side of the coin, given that his scoring had slowed down considerably in recent years, to the tune of 12 points in his final 39 games with the Blue Jackets, no one expected him to jump to the front of the production line with his new team.
And yet, Texier didn’t just meet expectations, he blew them out of the water, a considerable feat when we remember he joined the Canadiens while the season was already in full swing.
Adapting to a new coach, a new country, new teammates, a new arena, a new city, and a slew of other invariables is always difficult, even more so when you don’t have a training camp to help you acclimatize to the new settings.
Alexandre Texier 5v5 Impact
Texier maintained a 2.0 points per 60 ratio at 5v5, which was good for sixth overall on the team, trailing Cole Caufield (2.7), Ivan Demidov (2.45), Alex Newhook (2.43), Nick Suzuki (2.24), and Juraj Slafkovsky (2.06).
There’s quite the discrepancy in salaries involved. Most of the players make twice as much as Texier, if not more. Demidov is the lone forward who produced more at 5v5 and was making less than Texier, but he’s still on his entry-level contract, and is set for a massive raise in the near future.
All things considered, Texier provided excellent value to the Canadiens in a relatively difficult situation.
To make matters more interesting, he also had exceptional underlying numbers when playing on the first line, alongside Suzuki and Caufield.
It’s particularly important, as few, if any players have managed to keep up with the team’s best forwards, other than Juraj Slafkovsky, and he had much more experience playing on Montreal’s top trio than Texier.
Despite this, Texier’s numbers on the first line were fantastic.
In fact, he produced better numbers alongside Suzuki and Caufield at 5v5.
While Slafkovsky held a negligible edge in shot share (CF%), Texier had better results when it came to high-danger scoring chances (HDCF%), expected goals (xGF%), and actual goal (GF%).
Powerplay Value
On the flip side of the coin, his powerplay production was truly underwhelming, finishing the season with the second-lowest points per 60 on the team (1.3), with just rookie Oliver Kapanen (0.8) below him.
This is fairly perplexing, as Texier seems to be at his best when he has ample space and time to work with, but he simply did not generate much offence while serving on the team’s second powerplay unit.
Texier Player Grade
We have to consider several factors when grading a player, including his salary, production, potential, and more, but it’s fair to say Texier exceeded all realistic expectations. Other than his poor work on the powerplay, he truly served as an important member of the organization.
And the best news is that he still has another discounted year left on his contract.
Good teams are built on good players, and while Texier will never win the Art Ross Trophy, he’s clearly an upgrade on many internal options, not to mention most external options that carry the same salary-cap hit.
Alexandre Texier Grade: A- (80-84%)
Montreal Canadiens and Alexandre Texier statistics via Natural Stat Trick.
