The Habs Signed Alexandre Texier And Called Up Defenseman Adam Engstrom

The Montreal Canadiens have officially signed forward Alexandre Texier to a one-year $1 million contract. This deal comes after there had reportedly been a lot of mutual interest between the Habs and the forward over the past week. Following being put on unconditional waivers on Saturday, Texier became a free agent as of 2:00 pm ET on Sunday. On top of signing Texier, the Canadiens also recalled defenseman Adam Engstrom ahead of their Midwest road trip that begins on Wednesday night against the Utah Mammoth at 9:30 pm ET.

Congratulations to Alexandre Texier on signing a 1-year NHL contract with the Montréal #GoHabsGo ! #WeAreGoldStar! pic.twitter.com/WfQQPa8nr8

— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) November 23, 2025

The 26-year-old Texier, who started the season with the St. Louis Blues, was in need of a change of scenery after only putting up an assist in 8 games to start the campaign. He won’t ever light the league on fire, but he provides the Habs with much-needed depth at the NHL level for the rest of the season. This is good so that the Habs don’t need to rely on guys like Joshua Roy, who aren’t able to cut it in the NHL as depth. Texier will be able to play a solid energy game on the 4th line by using his speed and defensive awareness to his advantage.

Texier is exactly what the Habs need.

A “skilled” PK specialist 4th line winger who doesn’t play on the PK.

Can’t wait for the Went Wughes on this one.

— Jeed (@Jeed_won) November 20, 2025

He can also provide important minutes on the penalty kill as a replacement for Alex Newhook, who will be out the next 4 months. This will also take some pressure off Captain Nick Suzuki, who regularly has to play on both power play units as well as some penalty kill time since Newhook fractured his ankle.

Suzuki is also clearly banged up with a minor foot injury, but due to lack of centre depth, he has to play a lot of different roles still, so a little less ice time thanks to Texier could help him recover and get back to 100% faster.

Texier is also versatile and can play both on the wing and in the centre, but with only a 35.7% career faceoff percentage, he is better suited to play on the wing.

In terms of his offensive game, Texier likely won’t be relied upon to score much, but if he can get back to the player he was with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he could bring a fair share of offence to the bottom six. He is only two years removed from his career high of 12 goals and 30 points in 78 games during his final year with the Blue Jackets. At just 26 years old, he is just entering his prime still, so with this change of scenery, he may regain his ability to produce around a 12-15 goal and 30-35 point pace.

Told Texier had more money on the table but he instead went with Mtl’s offer.

There were 3 finalists but after careful consideration, Mtl emerged as the best fit.

He’s pumped. Will be available to play on Wednesday. Story in French: https://t.co/pSXZALTqav

— Nicolas Cloutier (@NCloutierTVA) November 23, 2025

Even if he can’t reach those point totals, there isn’t much risk with the signing, as it’s only for this season. At the very least, Texier can serve as the team’s 13th forward, but he could also play on the 3rd line if needed. It may not be the most exciting signing, but Texier will help the Habs by giving them some much-needed experienced depth on the youngest team in the NHL. Due to the opportunity that he would get in Montreal, Texier reportedly rejected more money in order to join the Canadiens.

As for the call-up of Adam Engstrom, it was only a matter of time, as the Habs prospect has been dominant at the AHL level, which includes a 1-goal and 5-point performance with the Laval Rocket on Saturday in their 7-2 victory over the Belleville Senators.

Adam Engström his season in the AHL:

— 5 goals (1st in AHL)
— 9 assists
— 14 points
— 50 shots on goal
— +8 plus/minus

Will get his first opportunity in the NHL. pic.twitter.com/XPqpIJHuQj

— Canadiens Muse (@Canadiens_Muse) November 23, 2025

He currently sits 3rd in scoring for the Rocket as a defenseman with 5 goals and 14 points in 18 games. The fact that he is getting called up likely means the 21-year-old will get a chance to play in the place of someone like Jayden Struble or Arber Xhekaj at some point during the road trip, as they wouldn’t call Engstrom up unless they wanted him to play. It’s likely that Saturday’s performance sealed the deal for the Habs brass, and they realized it was officially time to test him at the NHL level.

It will be exciting to see what both Texier and Engstrom add to the Canadiens roster over the next week. Especially Engstrom, who has the chance to have a future in Montreal.

How do you feel about the acquisition of Alexandre Texier and the call-up of Adam Engstrom?