5 Blue Jacket skaters who could be moved for more roster flexibility

Alexandre Texier

Would you believe me if I told you that Alexandre Texier just quietly finished 8th on the team in scoring? What if I told you he finished tied for 4th in +/- amongst forwards who played more than 45 games?

Those are the facts. Texier scored 12 goals and 30 points in 78 games this season, while carrying a -5 rating for a team that gave up 63 more goals than they scored.

Still, it feels like he could do so much more. Tex oozes skill, can obviously shoot the puck, has size and the speed to burn. But no matter the situation, he cannot find his way into this team's top-six, or get much power-play time.

As a two-way player, it's hard not to love having this guy around. He's been a strong contributor to the bottom-six and penalty kill since returning from his two-year hiatus in Europe.

But at some point, as they did with Emil Bemstrom, you have to look at this objectively and ask the question: does Texier fit into the plans long-term?

If not, it may be time to cash in and get something in return for the young Frenchman. He's a restricted free agent this summer, with arbitration rights. Texier is coming off of a contract that paid him a $1.525M AAV, and he will almost certainly be demanding a raise. I would.

At that rate, I wonder if it might be better for the Jackets to fill in his productivity with a different type of player.

On the last page, I mentioned bringing in a heavier two-way presence. Ideally, one with more experience. To do that, they may need to move on from a player like Texier and free up the roster space.

Or, they could just turn to one of the youngsters coming up through the system. Gavin Brindley certainly didn't leave college without the thought of making the Blue Jacket roster this fall. And, James Malatesta looked good in his call-up stint. Really good.

We'll see what happens with Texier in the coming weeks and months. I think they could get some decent draft capital for him, if they do decide to move on.

Our next player is one of my favorites, but it may be time to explore alternate options.