The Canadiens had the day off Sunday, but general manager Kent Hughes was busy.
The GM announced Sunday afternoon that the Canadiens have agreed to terms on a one-year, US$1-million contract with forward Alexandre Texier and also called up defenceman Adam Engstrom from the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
The St. Louis Blues put the 26-year-old Texier on unconditional waivers on Saturday to terminate his contract after he had 0-1-1 totals in eight games this season. The Blues acquired Texier from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2024 in exchange for a fourth-round pick at the 2025 NHL Draft. The Blue Jackets selected the 6-foot-1, 196-pounder from France in the second round (45th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft after he had 10-9-19 totals in 40 games playing for Grenoble in France. Last season Texier had 6-5-11 totals in 31 games with the Blues.
Texier was in the final season of a two-year, US$4.2-million contract with the Blues.
With long-term injuries to forwards Alex Newhook (fractured ankle), Kirby Dach (fractured foot) and Patrik Laine (core muscle injury), Texier will add some depth and experience to the Canadiens. In 240 games over seven NHL seasons, he has 40-51-91 totals.
Engstrom had a strong training camp with the Canadiens and was among the final cuts. In 18 games with the Rocket, the 22-year-old Swede had 5-9-14 totals and was plus-8. Engstrom had a goal and four assists in the Rocket’s 7-2 win over the Belleville Senators Saturday in Laval. He will give the Canadiens an extra defenceman for their three-game road trip that starts Wednesday in Utah.
“He showed everything it takes to play in the league,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said about Engstrom at the end of training camp. “I won’t be surprised if he has a long (NHL) career.”
Engstrom also impressed veteran Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher at training camp.
“He skates really well and he’s poised with the puck,” Gallagher said. “He’s developed really well the last couple of years. You can see the confidence in his game, which is important. He’s another guy that’s coming up and pushing for those roster spots. It’s important to have.”
Engstrom becomes the fourth player called up from the Rocket in the last 10 days to play for the Canadiens, following forwards Jared Davidson, Joshua Roy and Florian Xhekaj, who made his NHL debut in Saturday night’s 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. Xhekaj had an impressive debut with an assist and a fight during his 9:48 of ice time to go along with two shots, three hits and a blocked shot.
Adam Engstrom had a strong training camp with the Montreal Canadiens and was among the final cuts.
After the game, St. Louis praised the Rocket coaching staff, led by head coach Pascal Vincent.
“I tip my hat to the staff in Laval,” St. Louis said. “Because we’ve had a lot of call-ups recently and the guys come and they look ready — they don’t look out of place. I know there’s other players that are knocking on the door, too, down there. Our staff in Laval is doing a great job in facilitating the transition.”
The Rocket were in first place in the North Division with a 12-6-0 record after Saturday’s win over Belleville.
The Canadiens will practise at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard before flying to Utah, where they will face the Mammoth Wednesday (9:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS) to start the three-game road trip. They will then play back-to-back afternoon games because of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on Friday against the Golden Knights in Vegas (4 p.m., TSN2, RDS) and on Saturday against the Avalanche in Colorado (3 p.m., TSN2, RDS).
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