After a disappointing 2021 campaign, Alexandre Texier was a man on a mission entering this past season. From the drop of the puck on opening night, Texier was one of the most noticeable players on the ice. He even scored the teams’ first goal of the year, in his first shift of the year in the first minute of the season. It looked like Tex was going to hit the ground running in his third “full” season in the NHL.
The success didn’t immediately continue, and he found himself on the fourth line, playing with Sean Kuraly and Eric Robinson. I’m not sure if this was a punishment, a numbers game, or just a way to get Texier to play a more straightforward and simple North-South game playing on that type of line. Seemingly against all odds, it was just what the doctor ordered, and the Frenchman’s game took off.
He looked faster, more engaged and overall just more dangerous on the ice. He saw time on the penalty kill where he became not just a strong pk’er, but was also a threat to create offense while shorthanded. Texier saw his ice time shoot up from the 11-12 minute range all the way up to about 16-17 minutes a game.
Unfortunately, Tex suffered an injury against Calgary in late January, and that was the last we saw of him. The timeline on the injury (broken finger) was approximately four weeks, and once weeks six-through-eight of the recovery passed, some fans — myself included — began to be concerned there was something else going on behind the scenes that fans weren’t privy to based off the silence of the organization regarding his status.
Eventually, we learned the horrible news that Texier had returned home to be with family after the passing of two people very close to him. Family is more important than any job or any game, so good for Tex to be there for his family and good on the organization for recognizing that is where he needed to be for as long as needed.
Texier has began playing hockey again for France in the IIHF World Championships. He has looked strong so far, and is tied for team lead in points with 3 in 4 games. Blue Jackets fans will anxiously have to wait to see if Alexandre Texier can build off his strong, albeit short season.
2022 Stats
Games Played: 36
Goals: 11
Assists: 9
Points: 20
Plus/Minus: even
PIM: 18
5v5 CF%: 43.4%
5v5 FF%: 42.8%
oZS%: 26.6%
Contract
Texier was extended last summer on a two-year bridge deal worth just over $3M total, with an AAV of $1.5M. Next year will be another contract season for him, and if he can pick up where he left off prior to his injury and leave of absence, he will be in for a hefty raise that I am sure the Blue Jackets front office will be more than willing to pay.
High point
While Tex was very noticeable most nights, there was a stretch of games just prior to the broken finger where he had the most success. Texier registered 10 points in 9 games from Dec. 5th to Jan. 13th and his confidence was off the charts.
Here are some moments from the point streak that highlight said confident play:
Strong puck pursuit on the penalty kill to win the battle and then just a gorgeous lob pass to spring Nyquist on the breakaway.
A beautiful move on the odd-man rush and perfect dish to a wide open Eric Robinson during his two point night in Vancouver.
In a game in which he tied it up late with his 10th goal of the year, Texier capped off his night by pulling this move out of his bag of tricks again in a shootout win against Nashville.
Alexandre Texier with another filthy shootout goal 😤 pic.twitter.com/5TPN2jy0iI
— Gino Hard (@Ginohard_) December 31, 2021
Low Point
It’s pretty obvious. The injury was unfortunate enough, but to add in the family tragedy that unfolded is almost unfathomable. Yeah, it sucked to not have him in the lineup, but hockey was an afterthought at that point.
Report Card
I’m going to give Texier a B+. It was a solid year for him and he looked to finally be taking that next step towards being a consistently dangerous player. It was a bit surprising to see his CF% and FF% as low as they were (although his offensive zone start percentage definitely didn’t help.) Next step of his development will be to increase those numbers and be on the right side of the puck more often.
How would you grade Alexandre Texier’s 2021-22 season?
| A | 16 |
| B | 60 |
| C | 16 |
| D | 0 |
| F (dont you even) | 0 |