The Columbus Blue Jackets signed last year’s second-round draft pick (45th overall) centre Alexandre Texier to a three-year entry-level contract today. This deal comes after Texier played for France in the IIHF world championship this month.
#CBJ announce Alexandre Texier, the second-round pick (No. 45 overall) last summer, has signed an entry-level contract. He’s expected to play in Finland again in 2018-19.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) May 22, 2018
Alexandre Texier signs ECL
Last season, Texier played for KalPa in the SM-Liiga which is the top league in Finland. This past season he scored 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points. Texier played in 53 of the 60 regular season games. He also added 38 minutes in penalties. In his six postseason games, Texier scored one goal and one assist.
Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told the Columbus Dispatch, “He is a young player who had a very good rookie season with KalPa and we were excited to watch his continued development as he gets bigger and stronger physically.”
What This Means for the Future
Texier 18-years-old was the youngest player on his Liiga team the KalPa Kuopio. It is expected that he will play another season in KalPa before joining the Blue Jackets organization. Texier also had three points in his seven games for Team France at the world championship this month.
Texier will be 20-years-old when he joins the Blue Jackets if everything goes as planned. Being a centre he could help the Columbus at a position they will need help. By that time Brandon Dubinsky will be 34 with one year left on his contract, and hopefully, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Alexander Wennberg will have the top two lines covered. Lukas Sedlak could be on the third or fourth line, but there should be a spot open for Texier to fill if he is ready. If not he can go to the AHL and continue his development. Right now this contract might not seem like a big deal. However, it is a big step in helping the Blue Jackets add depth to their future. As Texier is just 19-years-old, the deal will be subject to a one-year entry-level slide
