Habs sign Alexandre Texier to a two-year extension

Alexandre Texier has turned out to be a key piece for the Habs since signing with them back in November.  On Wednesday, he was rewarded for his efforts as the Canadiens have signed him to a two-year extension that will carry a $2.5 million cap hit.

The deal represents a big raise from the pro-rated $1 million he’s getting from Montreal.  However, his original contract this season with St. Louis called for a $2.1 million salary and qualifying offer with arbitration rights so any subsequent deal was going to be based off of that price tag.  This buys out his last RFA-eligible year plus one UFA season.

It has been a tale of two seasons for the 26-year-old.  He started with the Blues but quickly slid down the depth chart to the point of being a frequent healthy scratch.  He played in just eight games with them, picking up one assist.  Texier ultimately cleared waivers and declined to report to the minors, paving the way for his contract to be terminated.

The next day, Texier signed with Montreal with the team battling injuries up front, giving him a chance to play regular minutes.  He did well enough with those to be given a shot on the top line and he has certainly been quite productive, picking up a pair of three-point games last week.  Overall, he has played in 25 games with the Habs, notching seven goals and nine assists so far while averaging 14:45 per game.

Texier, who will play for France at the Olympics next month, has had stretches in the past where he is productive for a little bit before seeing his output taper off.  With this extension, it’s clear that the team believes that he can at least be a regular contributor for the next little while, even if he isn’t able to maintain his current offensive pace.

With this deal, Montreal now has 11 forwards signed for next season who could be classified as regulars.  Patrik Laine will be an unrestricted free agent along with Samuel Blais while Kirby Dach, Zach Bolduc, and Joe Veleno are all eligible for restricted free agency.  They also only have around $12 million in cap room for 2026-27 so as things stand, next summer could wind up being a relatively quiet one for the Habs.