Why Alexandre Texier Is Working So Well On The Habs Top Line
When the Montreal Canadiens signed Alexandre Texier after he was bought out by the St. Louis Blues on November 23rd, it was expected that he would come in as a depth forward that would play in the bottom six and the penalty kill while delivering some occasional offence alongside being a shootout specialist. However, since arriving in Montreal, the French forward continues to exceed the expectations that most had for him. Texier is now proving that he can be a great fit on the Habs’ top line with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, after scoring 3 points in each of his last 2 games, including a hat trick on Thursday night against the Florida Panthers. What exactly makes a 26-year-old who was expected to be a good fit alongside Suzuki and Caufield?
On Thursday night’s Sick Podcast post-game show, Pierre McGuire explained to Tony Marinaro why he believes that the top line with Texier works well despite him bringing a much different game to the table than Juraj Slafkovsky, who worked well there beforehand. One very key reason that McGuire touched on was Texier’s speed, which is a factor, as it allows him to score off the rush, which is something that fits very well with Caufield and Suzuki, who also like to score off the rush. With that being said, they can create odd-man rushes with Texier more than they could when Zack Bolduc was placed on that line, after Slafkovsky found better success with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov.
Why has the newly formed 1st line worked so well?
Pierre McGuire: “Texier’s speed is a factor. It makes a big difference. He can score off the rush, and that plays into the strengths of Suzuki and Caufield”#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast @TonyMarinaro pic.twitter.com/Kqq47OqfPm
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) January 9, 2026
The best example of what makes the newly formed top line so good together can be seen in Texier’s 2nd goal of the game on Thursday night. Mike Matheson sends a breakout pass to Texier in the neutral zone, which creates a 2-on-1 with him and Caufield, where he attempts to pass the puck, but it gets blocked, so he reacts fast to get it back and rip a shot past Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. When you have a line full of fast-paced players playing together, they can often take advantage of that against their opponents to get odd-man rushes. Suzuki may not skate as fast as Texier and Caufield, but he is still known for creating fast-paced offence on the rush.
Ça lui fait 3 buts en 24 heures
Tex is officially on hatty watch#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/6DuoXOiFgp
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 9, 2026
Texier obviously won’t be able to put up 3 points every game, but his fast-paced style of play should allow him to continue being a great fit alongside his current linemates, at least for the time being. Not to mention, Texier has a very good shot and amazing hand-eye coordination, which makes him able to succeed when given a chance on a line that uses fast-paced offence.
During his time with the Blues, he wasn’t given this opportunity, which made people believe the skill wasn’t there to be more than a bottom-six forward. It’s now become clear that he had untapped potential when he left the Columbus Blue Jackets organization; he couldn’t find it in St. Louis, but he is now able to finally show in Montreal.
The success Alexandre Texier is having has to do with stylistic fit more than Texier playing better or improving.
Martin St. Louis does not force players to play a robotic style where everyone is forced to play the same way.
He has certain “non-negotiables” such as how to…
— Joël (@RiseFromTheAshZ) January 9, 2026
The Habs now have a very solid top 6 that can help get them to the playoffs, which includes two great duos (Caufield-Suzuki and Slafkovsky-Demidov) and two complementary players (Texier and Kapanen) that fit well within those top two lines, as it brings a nice mix of speed and skill. This makes the Habs a much scarier team that can out-skate nearly any team in the league when they are playing on top of their game, as evidenced by their wins against both the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars, two teams that are among the top of the NHL. Kapanen and Texier may not be permanent fixes in the top 6 but they fit very well right now.
How are you liking the fit of Texier with Caufield and Suzuki long-term?
