Alexandre Texier isn’t the bravest: that’s why Jim Montgomery didn’t like him

Dose
Crédit: (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

Alexandre Texier doesn’t arrive in Montreal as the man who’s going to save the Canadiens.

We’re talking about a player who has his qualities and who is well known within the organization: Josh Anderson, Martin St-Louis and Pascal Vincent worked with him in Columbus, while Zachary Bolduc played with him in St-Louis. They know what kind of guy he is on and off the ice.

That probably helped Kent Hughes make his decision, by the way. We know that the GM of the Canadiens doesn’t hesitate to talk to his people to find out more about a player…

That said, the Canadiens have a “problem” of late, and we saw it last week against the Capitals. There’s a bit of sandpaper missing from the line-up if Florian Xhekaj is removed… and Texier isn’t going to help there either.

Renaud Lavoie said it this morning on BPM Sports: Texier isn’t known for being the “bravest” player on the ice. He’s not the one who’s going to hit the opposition in the corner, and you can’t expect the Frenchman to become a physical player overnight.

This explains why Jim Montgomery didn’t like him much in St. Louis, according to Renaud Lavoie. Montgomery likes a player who’s a dog… and Texier doesn’t fit into that category.

Personally, I can’t wait to see what role the former Blue Jackets and Blues forward will play.

Will he be given a place on one of the two shorthanded waves? Texier has speed, and even if he’s seen as more of an offensive player, he could use his speed to create things…

It also makes you wonder when we’ll see him play his first game with the Canadiens. Reminder: Jared Davidson hurt himself in the third period on Saturday night… and that may open the door to attack.

But if Davidson is able to play on Wednesday, we can expect the lineup to remain intact against the Mammoth. I find it hard to see Martin St-Louis changing his line-up after the club’s fine win over the Leafs, and I can’t see Florian Xhekaj or Davidson coming out of the line-up if they’re healthy.

Because there’s really no rush for Texier. The Habs might want to give him a few practices to help him acclimatize to his new environment, and that would make sense in a way.

Especially since he’s only played eight games this season with the Blues…

(Credit: Screenshot / HockeyDB)

There are questions to be asked, then, with the arrival of Alexandre Texier.

The forward will be at team practice this morning(Renaud Lavoie confirmed it yesterday on X) and we’ll have more answers to our questions soon.

Will he play short-handed? Will he be used on the Canadiens’ top-9? When will he play his first game in the blue, white and red? Will Martin St-Louis be able to trust him in certain situations?

I’ll be curious to hear what the players have to say about the Frenchman’s arrival. Because sometimes, it says a lot about how they see the player in question…

Overtime

– Happy Birthday!

– Ouch.

– Happy reading.

– He’d be proud.