Category: NHL

The NHL season has hit the Olympic break, and New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer is -1000 on the Calder Trophy odds board. 

We still have the second half of the season, but Ivan Demidov (+900) will have to do something pretty spectacular to overcome the Isles' 18-year-old sensation. 

Odds to win 2026 Calder Trophy

Player
Matthew Schaefer	<<-1000>>
Ivan Demidov	<<+900>>
Beckett Sennecke	<<+975>>
Jesper Wallstedt	<<+10000>>

Odds as of 2-15.

Get a first bet encore up to $800 with BET99 bonus code COVERSNHL.
(not available in Ontario)

Understanding NHL Calder odds

Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When the regular season is nearly finished and a consensus has emerged, you might see a player with a minus sign (-) ahead of his odds, like this:

• Ivan Demidov -400

The (-) means that Demidov is the odds-on favorite, and a bettor would need to wager $400 to win $100. Other contenders in the Calder race might have plus (+) odds to win.

• Alexander Nikishin +900

Here, a bettor stood to profit $900 for every $100 wagered. 

If American odds aren't your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.

Popular NHL futures markets

• Stanley Cup odds
• NHL Rocket Richard odds
• NHL Vezina Trophy odds
• NHL MVP Trophy odds

NHL Calder Trophy trends

• Only eight No. 1 overall picks have gone on to win the Calder Trophy.
• Only 16 goaltenders have ever won the Calder Trophy, with Steve Mason being the last netminder to capture the award (2009).
• In 1990, Sergei Makarov became the oldest player to win the Calder at 31 years old.

Calder Trophy history

A quick look at recent NHL Calder Trophy winners and the teams they played for.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen could be a player to keep an eye on as we get closer to the 2026 NHL trade deadline. The right-shot defenseman has been a trade candidate for quite some time, and there could be interest in him if he can stay healthy between now and the deadline.

Due to this, let's look at three teams that could make sense as landing spots for Ristolainen if the Flyers shop him. 

Detroit Red Wings 

The Red Wings are in a position to add to their roster, as they have a ton of cap space and currently hold a playoff spot. There is no question that they could use a right-shot defenseman with size, so they could be a nice fit for a veteran blueliner for Ristolainen. 

Dallas Stars 

One of the Stars' top objectives ahead of the deadline should be to bring in another right-shot defenseman. Their right side is in clear need of a boost, so it would be understandable if they had Ristolainen on their radar. Ristolainen is also playing for Team Finland with several players on the Stars. 

Toronto Maple Leafs 

The Maple Leafs have been connected to Ristolainen in the past, so it would not too surprising if they had him on their radar. The Maple Leafs need to improve the right side of their defense, and bringing in Ristolainen would help things on that front.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a position to add to their roster ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline. The Penguins are currently in second place in the Metropolitan Division, so it would be understandable if they looked to boost their group.

One of the Penguins' top needs is a right-shot defenseman, and they are now being viewed as a potential fit for a solid one because of it.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Scott Powers, Mark Lazerus, and Chris Johnston listed the Penguins among the possible suitors for Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy. 

"Dallas is a natural fit, but the Stars are hardly the only team looking for a right-shot and/or depth defenseman. Buffalo, Ottawa, San Jose, Pittsburgh, Boston and Detroit all make sense, too," Powers, Lazerus, and Johnston wrote.

Seeing the Penguins being viewed as a potential fit for Murphy is not surprising. They need to improve their right side, and Murphy is one of the top right-shot defenseman trade candidates in the NHL right now. Thus, it would be understandable if the Penguins made a push for him once the NHL Olympic roster freeze ends. 

If the Penguins landed Murphy, he could slot on either their second or third pairing. In addition, he would be an obvious choice for the Penguins' penalty kill due to his steady defensive play. 

Yet, with Murphy being a big right-shot defenseman with plenty of experience, it is very likely that several teams will pursue him. As a result, the Penguins would have competition if they look to add him. 

The Philadelphia Flyers, as an organization, appear to be finally getting healthy and kicking some injuries at the right time.

Forward Tyson Foerster appears to be on the mend, defense prospect Spencer Gill just played in his first games since October, and now another young stud is getting back on the ice, too.

On Saturday night, top forward prospect Alex Bump made his return from a lengthy injury absence that eliminated all but one game over the last two months.

Bump, 22, entered the Lehigh Valley Phantoms' lineup for the first time since Jan. 3 on Saturday night, and before that, the highly-skilled winger hadn't played since Dec. 19.

Bump, Gill, and defenseman Oliver Bonk have all missed several months due to their respective injuries this season, and all are now healthy at the same time for the first time this season.

Flyers AHL Affiliates Sign 6-foot-3 DefensemanThe Flyers have identified an injury replacement for one of their rising prospects.

In his return to the lineup, Bump recorded three shots on goal, took one penalty, and had a -2 rating. 

Former Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov (33/35, .943) and the Cleveland Monsters took a 5-2 decision, knocking off Bump and the Phantoms and making them losers of four straight.

In each of their last four losses, the Phantoms have allowed no fewer than five goals while being out-scored 22-10.

The Phantoms now sit at a mediocre 21-21-4 in fifth place in the AHL's Atlantic Division, but now that Bump is back and healthy, maybe they have a chance to turn the tides a bit.

As for Bump's NHL prospects, his injury came at an unfortunate time, and it would take something unprecedented (or another injury at the NHL level at the winger position) for the 22-year-old to get ice time in the big leagues.

Flyers Will Get Good Look at Top NHL Draft Prospect in OlympicsThe Flyers should be paying close attention to the only NHL draft prospect featuring in the Winter Olympics this year.

For now, teammate and fellow Flyers prospect Denver Barkey has leapfrogged him on the organizational depth chart, nailing down a middle-six role on the Flyers as currently constructed.

Once again this year, Quebec City will host its International Pee Wee Tournament from February 11 to 22, and as always, there will be a team representing the Montreal Canadiens. This time around, it’s the Lions du Lac St-Louis that have earned the privilege of wearing the Sainte-Flanelle for the tournament, and on Friday, they got a visitor at practice.

While plenty of NHL players have used the Olympic break as an opportunity to head to sunny destinations, Mike Matheson stayed around, spent some time in Brossard skating with his little boy, and on Friday, he surprised the Lions at practice.

Canadiens: Slafkovsky’s Irresistible Assault on Slovakia’s Olympic Goal Scoring Record
Canadiens’ Suzuki Moved Back To Center in Canada’s Win
Canadiens: Laine Trade Rumours Swirling Around As Finn Forward Looks Like Casualty Of Habs’ Improvement

Judging by the picture published by the Canadiens’ social media account, the kids were over the moon to see Matheson, who had his jersey retired by the Lions back in September, turn up. They hadn’t started their tournament yet, with their first game being scheduled on Valentine’s Day against the Long Island Stars.

Matheson, who will turn 32 toward the end of the month, signed a five-year extension with the Canadiens at the end of November and is not going anywhere anytime soon. The veteran defenseman managed to get a three-year full no-movement clause out of Kent Hughes, a rare feat. Then, in the last two years of his deal, he has a modified no-trade clause, which provides that he can submit a list of 14 teams he doesn’t want to be traded to in 2029-30 and a five-team list for the 2030-31 season.

Right now, there would be no reason for the Canadiens to want to trade the blueliner in any case; he’s an absolute workhorse on their defence corps, averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time per game. Despite not being on the power play anymore, he’s managed to rack up 28 points in 54 games, just three points below his total from last season, which he’ll no doubt surpass.

But : Fils de Mike Matheson.

Mentions d'aide : Ivan Demidov et Kirby Dach 😂🥰 pic.twitter.com/rSNGe5ZAux

— DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) February 13, 2026

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. 

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

Team USA moved closer to clinching Group C in the men’s hockey tournament at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 with a 6–3 victory over Team Denmark on Saturday afternoon.

However, the win did not come without an uneasy opening 20 minutes.

Denmark carried a 2–1 lead into the dressing room after the first period, thanks to goals from Nick Olesen and Nicholas Jensen. Jensen’s goal—a wrist shot from just inside center ice—somehow slipped past Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman.

Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy scored for Team USA, who soon seized control of the game with their offensive firepower.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Ottawa Senators team captain Brady Tkachuk knotted the score at 2-2 following an offensive zone face-off win by Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel, who then scored the go-ahead goal soon afterward. 

Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin increased the lead to 4-2 and, despite a Denmark tally from Phillip Bruggisser, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel restored Team USA's two-goal lead just before the midway point of the third period. 

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes capped the scoring, beating backup goaltender Frederik Dichow, who had replaced the injured Mads Sogaard. 

Detroit Red Wings team captain Dylan Larkin, playing in his second-career Olympic game, skated in 12:31 of ice time, and had four shots on goal. 

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

In the summer of 1948, Rangers manager Frank Boucher pulled off one of the "steal deals" of all-time. "Boosh" obtained center Buddy O'Connor from the Montreal  Canadiens in exchange for a few minor leaguers who never amounted to much.

O'Connor went on to win the 1949 Hart Trophy as well as the Lady Byng award; quite a gem for practically nothing.

But there was more to the deal. In addition, the Blueshirts also obtained defenseman Frankie Eddolls who then was called the "best defenseman outside the NHL."

Eddolls would become a blue line star and was a key figure in the spring of 1950 when Frankie helped the Blueshirts to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Final vs. Detroit.

Unfortunately, the Red Wings won the Cup in double overtime.

Ottawa Senators minor league goalie Mads Sogaard may be about to get the toughest assignment of his young goaltending career.

Team Denmark (0-1) has announced that starter Freddy Andersen, even though he's healthy and by far the Danes' best goalie, will not play against Team USA (1-0) on Saturday (3:10 p.m. TSN).

"We have a bad schedule," Denmark head coach Mikael Gath told NHL.com. "We're playing 9 o'clock against U.S., and then we play early against Latvia the day after, and we have three good goalies."

So, faced with playing two games scheduled 22 hours apart, they're clearly giving Andersen the more winnable game, because no matter who starts, the Danes are not likely to beat the Americans.

While the Danes haven't officially announced their goalie yet, Sogaard seems to be the next man up for two reasons. He's the only other Danish goalie in history to ever play in the NHL, and he was the man on the bench as the backup for the team's 3-1 loss to Germany on Thursday.

Sogaard, 25, is 1-0 with a 4.65 GAA and .833 save percentage in two games for the Senators this season. In Belleville, he's 4-8-4 with a 3.30 GAA and .889 save percentage.

Certainly not elite numbers, but probably still the club's next-best option.

So the 6-foot-7 NHL prospect could be thrown into the fire against Sens' teammates Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson, and a high-powered American team that wants to clinch a bye to the quarterfinal and keep pace with Canada for the top seed in the tournament.

But at this point, catching Canada is as tall an order as Sogaard.

Canada is 2 and 0 with a 10:1 goal differential and should be able to improve on both counts against France (0-2) in their final preliminary game on Sunday. The Americans will get a tougher opponent in Germany on Sunday.

The Danes' third option on the roster is Frederik Dichow, Montreal's fifth-round pick from the 2019 NHL Draft. He's never played in North America, but don't sleep on him as a dark horse starting option for Saturday.

Last spring, Dichow made 39 saves in Denmark's historic elimination of Canada in the World Hockey Championship quarterfinals.

Given that Denmark needs another miracle on Saturday, maybe they'll decide to roll with a goalie who recently helped deliver one.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published at The Hockey News-Ottawa. Read more Senators features and articles from THN Ottawa here:

Seven Years Later, Former Senator Mark Stone Still Has Plenty Left... Just Ask Canada
From Hasek to Tkachuk: The Sens Have Been Burned By Best-on-Best Tournaments
Tim Stützle Named Germany's Alternate Captain As Outstanding Season Continues
Current And Former Ottawa Senators Competing At Winter Olympics
Senators Can Further Boost Playoff Hopes By Upgrading One Position At Deadline

While the Montreal Canadiens won’t have an official practice until Tuesday afternoon, Ivan Demidov has already been back on the ice in Brossard for a few days. Still, on Friday morning, he was joined by two other players, and a former player.

Kirby Dach and Jake Evans joined the Russian rookie as he skated at the CN Sports Complex. With Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes not being back yet, the three players took shots on a guest goalie: former blueliner David Savard.

Canadiens: Laine Trade Rumours Swirling Around As Finn Forward Looks Like Casualty Of Habs’ Improvement
Canadiens’ Slafkovsky and Slovakia Overcome Tough Italy
Canadiens’ Suzuki Had A Successful Olympics Debut

It’s great to see Dach back to work early, especially since there have been questions raised about his work ethic when he showed up to camp in disappointing shape ahead of the 2024-25 season. The 25-year-old is in the last year of the “show me” deal he signed when the Canadiens acquired him during the 2022 draft, and he’s running out of time to convince the Habs’ brass of what he can do and that he can stay healthy.

The soon-to-be RFAs’ timing couldn’t be better; however, there’s currently a spot up for grabs alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki since Juraj Slafkovsky has developed good chemistry with Oliver Kapanen and Demidov. If Dach can show he deserves to have an extended look there, he may be able to surprise and be more productive than he’s ever been with the Canadiens.

After all, he played his best hockey in Montreal when he played on the wing of the Canadiens’ fantastic duo. Both Caufield and Suzuki are on pace for career years. If Caufield keeps his current rhythm, he could put up 46 goals (37 is his highest total so far) and 82 points (he set his career high last season with 70 points). As for Suzuki, his production so far tells us that he could hit 25 goals and 67 assists for 92 points, three more than he got last season.

It’s now or never for Dach, and he needs to demonstrate why he should be part of the Canadiens’ core for a long time if he doesn’t want the organization to move on. It seems that they’ve already given up on the thought that he could be one of their centers, but he could still convince them that he can be a reliable top-six option if the stars align for him.

Ivan Demidov skating in Brossard again today, joined by Kirby Dach & Jake Evans.

With David Savard in net.

pic.twitter.com/7l2rgGZ2js

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 13, 2026

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. 

According to The Hockey News' Stefen Rosner, former San Jose Sharks forward Scott Reedy has signed a professional tryout with the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League (AHL). 

Reedy has yet to play a game this season at any level, but that should change with the former Sharks forward landing this PTO with Bridgeport.

Reedy spent this past season with the Nashville Predators' AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, where he had four goals, five assists, nine points, and a plus-1 rating in 25 games. This is after he had five goals and seven points in 12 games during the 2023-24 season with the Texas Stars. 

Reedy was selected by the Sharks with the 102nd overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The 26-year-old forward played in 35 games for the Sharks during the 2021-22 season, where he recorded seven goals, two assists, nine points, 14 hits, and 26 blocks. Reedy has not played at the NHL level since. 

Reedy spent the majority of his time with the Sharks organization down in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda. In 93 games with the Barracuda over three seasons from 2020-21 to 2022-23, he recorded 28 goals, 20 assists, and 48 points. This included him setting AHL career highs with 18 goals, nine assists, and 27 points in 38 games for the Barracuda in 2021-22. 

Team Canada took on Switzerland in the second game of the preliminary round of the Olympic tournament on Friday. While Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki started the game on a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Brandon Hagel, that’s not where he finished it.

Canada took a 2-0 lead by the halfway point of the first period, with Connor McDavid finding the back of the net on the power play and defenseman Thomas Harley doubling the lead just over five minutes later. The Swiss were still putting on a fight, though, and when Bo Horvat was assessed a minor penalty for high-sticking, they pounced to cut the lead in half, though Pius Sutter. Interestingly, Suzuki was used on that penalty kill, which shows that he does have John Cooper’s confidence. Even though he was on the ice for the goal, after the game the coach called Suzuki a Swiss Army knife and even joked that he’d play goalie if the team needed him to. After 20 minutes, shots were 13-10 Canada, and Logan Thompson, who was in the net with Jordan Binnington having the night off, had to be solid.

Canadiens' Nick Suzuki Gets Big Praise From Patrice Bergeron
Former Canadiens Player Had Some Advice For Texier
Canadiens’ Slafkovsky and Slovakia Overcome Tough Italy

With a tiny one-goal lead after the first frame, Cooper decided to mix things up a bit and put MacKinnon, McDavid, and Macklin Celebrini on the same line. As a result, Suzuki was moved back to the center, between Hagel and Tom Wilson. The newly formed top line wasted no time scoring when Celebrini converted on a MacKinnon feed. They were dominant in puck possession and looked like an unstoppable force. When they had the puck, the Swiss looked almost lost, and Canada ended the frame with 14 shots while their opponent only had six.

The Canadians scored another two goals in the final frame; the first one was a great deflection by Sidney Crosby off a Mitch Marner setup, and the second came from Cooper’s super line. This time, it was MacKinnon who scored with assists from McDavid and Celebrini. This line looked like a weapon of mass destruction that the coach was able to use again, and again, and again. It will be interesting to see if he sticks with it going forward, and if he does, how stronger teams will cope with them.

Overall, it was a good game for the Canadians, who pulled off a 5-1 win and are top of their group with 6 points and one game against France remaining in the preliminary round. Suzuki spent 13:35 on the ice, and while he didn’t have as good a game as he did against Czechia, he can still hold his head up high.

As for the Swiss, they lost more than the game since Kevin Fiala sustained a gruesome injury in a collision with Wilson and will be out for the remainder of the tournament. By the looks of the injury, it's quite possible that his NHL season with the Los Angeles Kings is in jeopardy. It's worth mentioning that it wasn't a dirty hit from Wilson; it was just an unfortunate freak play.

Canada will be back in action against France on Sunday morning at 10:40 AM, and it will be interesting to see how Cooper chooses to deploy his men and if Brad Marchand, who was a healthy scratch on Friday, will be back in the lineup.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. 

The New York Islanders are not back in action until Feb. 26, when they head up to Montreal to battle the Canadiens. However, their American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, play seven games over that span.

They return from their All-Star break with back-to-back meetings against the Providence Bruins, the Boston Bruins' AHL affiliate, on Saturday at 5 PM ET. 

Bridgeport, who currently sit sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 20-20-2-3, trail the Lehigh Valley Phantoms by one point for the fifth and final playoff spot. 

The last time Bridgeport qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs was back in 2021-22, which was Brent Thompson's last season behind the bench. 

Here are the team's leading scorers: 

Here's the goaltending stats: 

You can catch all Bridgeport games on Flo Hockey:

Hockey | Videos, News & Articles - FloHockeyHockey games, videos, news, & articles. Watch & stream live hockey games on FloHockey.tv. Junior, college, & professional hockey games & news coverage.

Following Kevin Fiala's scary injury that forced him to be stretchered off the ice against Team Canada on Friday, Switzerland announced that their left winger and alternate captain will not be returning for the rest of the 2026 men's Olympic hockey tournament.

"Kevin Fiala had to leave the ice due to injury three minutes before the end of the game. Medical examinations revealed a lower leg injury that rules him out of the 2026 Olympic Games," the Swiss national team revealed in a statement.

Fiala's injury is a massive blow to Switzerland and their hopes of medaling at this competition. In addition, this could play a factor with the Los Angeles Kings and their playoff hopes in the NHL.

Switzerland and Kings' Kevin Fiala Stretchered Off With Leg Injury Against CanadaKevin Fiala suffered a scary leg injury during Switzerland's second game of the men's Olympic tournament against Team Canada. The Los Angeles Kings left winger was stretchered off the ice late in the game.

The 29-year-old is a driver of the Los Angeles offense and is the third-highest scorer on the team in points and goals. He was second on the team in both categories before Artemi  Panarin was acquired ahead of the Olympic break.

Fiala has played 56 games in the NHL this season and has recorded 18 goals and 40 points for the Kings. He's also averaging a career-high 19:09 of ice time per game, proving how crucial he is to Los Angeles' forward group.

In 2017, Fiala had a similar injury during his time with the Nashville Predators. He suffered a fracture in his left femur and required surgery.

That happened in Game 1 in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the St. Louis Blues, and he was out for the rest of the post-season. Nashville advanced to the Cup final that year and lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

As for Fiala in this NHL regular season, his availability following the Olympics is unclear. The Kings' first game back is against the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 25 at Crypto.com Arena.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Alexandre Texier may be the only member of the French national team to play in the NHL, but he’s not the only one who’s ever played there or for the Montreal Canadiens, for that matter. In Milano-Cortina, Cristobal Huet is France’s goaltending coach, but not so long ago, he was manning the net for the Habs.

Huet spent seven years in the NHL and played 272 games, posting a 129-90-32 record. He finished his career with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. He spent three seasons in Montreal, playing 117 games and posting a 58-39-13 record with a 2.53 GAA and a .920 SV%. He was traded out of town towards the end of the 2007-08 season when the organization felt it was time to give the reins to a very young Carey Price.

Canadiens: Laine Trade Rumours Swirling Around As Finn Forward Looks Like Casualty Of Habs’ Improvement
Canadiens Predicted To Acquire Rangers Star Center
Canadiens’ Suzuki Had A Successful Olympics Debut
Canadiens: The New And Improved Slafkovski Proved Up To The Task

Still, he looks back fondly on his experience with the Habs, and speaking to NHL.com’s Jean-Francois Chaumont, he had this to say about Texier:

I’ve watched the Canadiens’ games remotely and through Tex, I thought back to my great years in Montreal, but I’m mostly just so happy for him. I told him to come into his own with the Canadiens. I feel he’ll get the opportunity to show how talented he is in the NHL. We spoke about how much pleasure one gets from playing in Montreal. The fans are generous, and there is such a rich hockey culture. When things are going well, Montreal is an extraordinary hockey town. Tex has wide eyes when he describes the Bell Centre. I think that’s so nice for him.

The Frenchman has had a great start to his career in Montreal. In 38 games so far, he has picked up 18 points and has even found himself playing on the first line with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. His timing to join the Habs was perfect. With so many injuries plaguing the team and Juraj Slafkovsky developing interesting chemistry with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, there was an opening on the first line, and he grabbed his opportunity with both hands.

Granted, had the team been healthy, he likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to step into that role, but he showed what he can do and was able to earn a two-year contract extension from the Canadiens. Kent Hughes signed him to a deal that will give him $5 million over the next two seasons, on top of the million he got for this year in Montreal. Of course, that’s not first-line winger money because in an ideal world, Texier wouldn’t be so high in the lineup, and he’s aware of that.

Texier bet on himself when he agreed to a contract termination with the St. Louis Blues, and he’s now reaping the benefits. He put his career back on the rails, and he now has the honour of representing his country at the Olympics. The consensus is that not much is expected from France in Milano, but Texier has the right attitude, saying he’ll give his all for the jersey he wears and that you never know what can happen in a 60-minute hockey game.

The French lost their first game of the Olympic tournament 4-0 against Switzerland, but they still put up a good fight. Texier spent 23 minutes on the ice, more than any other forward and second only to one defenseman, who got 23:45 of ice time. He took three shots and finished the game with a minus-1 rating.

They gave Czechia a bit of a scare in their second game, but they also lost it, 6-3. Texier was held off the score sheet, but he did spend 20:45 on the ice, more than any of his teammates. The forward took one shot on net and finished the game with a minus-two rating. 

🅰️lexandre Texier#GoHabsGo#MilanoCortina2026#WinterOlympicspic.twitter.com/OPKveXiR2c

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 12, 2026

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.