Rocket Head Coach Praises Texier Signing

Vincent told the media that he thinks that it was a fantastic signing by the Habs and finds the French forward easy to coach, as he is very receptive and always wants to learn and get better as a player. He mentioned that he really enjoyed coaching Texier and seemed genuinely excited to see his former player with the Canadiens.

According to Vincent, Texier has excellent speed that allows him to be great on the forecheck and on the penalty kill. Texier also has amazing hands, which made him a serious threat when it came to going out in the shootout. He has a 66.7% success rate in the shootout throughout his career. This is something that is good for the Habs considering that they have struggled for the most part when it comes to the shootout. In terms of offence, Vincent said Texier is a guy that can produce a fair share of points in the bottom of the lineup.

The Rocket coach also talked about the versatility of Texier and how he was drafted as a centre, but due to his speed and style of play, they felt during his time in Columbus that he would be better on their team as a winger. On rare occasions, he was used at centre and can play the middle of the ice, but based on his career trajectory, it may be best to just play him on the wing more often than at centre. However, the option of the Habs playing him as centre is there if need be. It will be interesting to see if it gets to that, as he hasn’t been a good faceoff guy throughout his career.

Despite the fact that he knew Texier really well, the higher-ups in the Canadiens organization didn’t consult Vincent on the decision to bring the forward into the fold. Vincent mentioned that the reason is that while he knew a lot about Texier, the Habs brass knew enough to make a decision on him without needing his input.

Another thing that Vincent mentioned is that he feels Texier is a great fit in what the Canadiens are trying to build as a fast, hard-to-play-against team, which is something he feels fits Texier’s skill set very well.

With all this being said, it sounds like Texier can be a good fit for the Canadiens, and he can at the very least fit into a role as a bottom-six energy guy that will bring speed and underrated skill. Based on how Martin St. Louis set up his lines ahead of Wednesday’s game, it seems like Texier will not be in the lineup against the Utah Mammoth. Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be long before we see if he can be as valuable to the team as Vincent claims he can be.

Do you think Texier will do well with the Canadiens?