Alexandre Texier continues to prove the Canadiens right in win over the Calgary Flames

The Montreal Canadiens have to be grateful for Alexandre Texier falling into their lap when he did. Battling through injuries to key members of their lineup, which include Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, and Kirby Dach, their season could have spiralled. Instead, the emergence of the kid line (Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, and Oliver Kapanen) and the signing of Texier have arguably made the Canadiens look better than they did during their hot start to the season. Texier has been able to move up and down the lineup, consistently contributing wherever he plays. Now, on a line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, Texier’s production is on the uptick.

Texier's game against the Flames might have been his best game so far in a Canadiens sweater. He opened the scoring for Montreal with a great finish up high, beating Dustin Wolf up high over his shoulder. He has fit in seamlessly on the Canadiens' top line, and the points are finally starting to pile in. He added an assist to his tally four minutes later. Texier picked up the rebound behind the net before passing the puck to Philip Danault on the wall, who spotted Lane Hutson alone for the one-timer that found the back of the net. After terminating his contract with the St. Louis Blues, Texier looks to have found a place where he can be a contributor.

Entering the third period, the Canadiens were up 3-1. The Flames were trying to continue the momentum they had late in the second period after cutting the Canadiens' lead to two, but were quickly silenced by an incredible shot by Caufield. Once again, a play created by Texier. After receiving a pass near the blueline in the Flames’ zone, Texier found Caufield streaking in on the other side of the ice, who ripped a laser past Wolf over his glove. The assist gave Texier his third point of the night, the first of his career, as the Canadiens beat the Flames 4-1. Texier was rewarded for his performance, being named the first star.

Texier continues to be a slam-dunk signing by Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes, as the Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France native now recording five points in the last four games. No one really knows why Texier fell out of favour in St. Louis, but the Canadiens are glad to have him in their lineup. With Laine and Dach close to returning to the lineup, the Canadiens could potentially have one of the deepest offences in the NHL. With how well Texier is playing, Gorton and Hughes should already be thinking about keeping him in town past this season.