The Blues have picked up winger Alexandre Texier from the Blue Jackets and signed him to a two-year contract.
His agent Dan Milstein confirmed the deal, which is worth $4.2M, split evenly into $2.1M per season. According to PuckPedia, the trade sends a 2025 fourth-round pick to Columbus in return. Texier, 24, had an impressive comeback in North America after taking personal leave during the 2022-23 season and playing on loan in the Swiss National League to be closer to his family in France.
Texier was originally drafted by the Blue Jackets in 2017 as a second-round pick. Last season, he achieved career-highs with 12 goals, 18 assists, and 30 points over 78 games. Previously hindered by Covid-19 and injuries, he had only managed a maximum of 46 appearances across three full NHL seasons.
The Blue Jackets tried moving Texier up in their lineup and even gave him time on their penalty kill unit. But with new skilled prospects coming through, they decided he was expendable despite his average of nearly two minutes shorthanded per game.
Blues’ Strategic Move:
Blues general manager Doug Armstrong made a smart move by acquiring Texier for just a mid-round pick. The new contract is also quite reasonable compared to Evolving Hockey’s projection of $2.33M AAV for two years.
Fans might think this move shows how much faith Armstrong has in building depth for the team without spending too much money.
Texier will likely replace some of the Blues’ mid-20s forwards who are leaving as free agents this summer like Kasperi Kapanen and Jakub Vrána. While he’s expected to compete for a third-line wing role, he could also end up playing as a bottom-six center—his natural position—even though he struggled with faceoffs at Columbus with just a 35.5% win rate.
What do you think about this trade?
