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The possible link between Texier’s contract and Zharovsky’s arrival

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Mar 13, 2026 2:10 PM ET

On Wednesday, I wondered if the two-year contract extension offered to Alexandre Texier was a mistake. Extending the contract of someone who can't break into your lineup when everyone is healthy is risky. But Texier joined the lineup a few hours later… and scored his team's second goal against the Senators. He might even push Brendan Gallagher out of the lineup this weekend.
Can we really bench Texier tomorrow night at the Bell Centre and send him to the bench with the benchwarmers? Not sure… Let's get back to Alexandre Texier's contract extension…
The Frenchman's agent is Daniel Milstein (Gold Star Sports Management Group). That name might ring a bell: he's also Ivan Demidov's agent. Yes, he's the one who orchestrated everything so the Russian could leave Russia a little less than a year ago, even though he was still under contract with SKA for a few more weeks. Did Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, somewhere along the line, want to be “nice” to him? Is Texier's contract extension a token of appreciation for services rendered? It happens often in soccer… and I'm convinced it happens in hockey, too.
Another interesting fact: Milstein is also the agent for Alexander Zharovsky, a Habs prospect still under contract for a full year in the KHL.
This morning, Zharovsky was playing on the fourth line with his team (Salavat Yulaev Ufa).

(Credit: Twitter screenshot)

Could it be that behind Texier's contract extension, there was also a hidden incentive to encourage Milstein to, in turn, convince the Salavat Yulaev Ufa management to let Zharovsky go in the spring, as was the case with Demidov last year?
The Canadiens would have quite a team next year with Hage and Zharovsky in the mix. A team that wouldn't need Texier, mind you… Maybe it's a conspiracy theory? But you know, sometimes, favors do get returned. We'll see next month if I was completely off base (which is possible).

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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