Canadiens sign Alexandre Texier to one-year contract

The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward Alexandre Texier to a one-year contract extension just hours after the St. Louis Blues terminated his contract.

Texier was in the midst of the final season of his two-year contract, signed back in June 2024, with a cap hit of $2.1 million. The deal was made shortly after his signing rights were traded to the Blues by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 26-year-old played just eight of the Blues’ first 21 games this season. His lone point came as an assist against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 13. Texier averaged 10:15 of ice time, the lowest of any season in his seven seasons in the NHL.

The rough start to the year follows a 2024-25 campaign in which the French winger struggled to stay in the lineup. Whether it be healthy scratches, injuries or illness, he played just 31 times during the regular season, and three of the Blues’ seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Winnipeg Jets. Texier scored six goals and five assists for 11 points during the regular season before adding an assist in the playoffs.

Texier, a second-round pick by the Blue Jackets in the 2017 NHL Draft, has appeared in 240 regular-season games in his NHL career. In total, the Grenoble, France native has scored 40 goals and 51 assists for 91 points. He’s also added eight points in 21 postseason contests.

Texier will give the Canadiens some veteran depth in the bottom six. Florian Xhekaj and Jared Davidson were recently called up to help fill in after injuries to Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook up front.

The Canadiens are currently fifth in the Atlantic Division with an 11-7-3 record with 25 points in 21 games. The club is 3-4-3 over the past 10 games, but is coming off a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.