Alexandre Texier is no longer a Blue Jacket.
The French forward was traded to the St. Louis Blues on Friday prior to the 2024 NHL draft for a 2025 fourth-round pick. Texier, 24, signed a two-year contract extension with the Blues with an average-annual value of $2.1 million to avoid becoming a restricted free agent. He played in five seasons for the Blue Jackets , who selected the versatile forward in the second round (No. 45) of the 2017 draft in Chicago .
The Blue Jackets traded the rights to forward Keegan Kolesar to the Vegas Golden Knights to get the pick used to select Texier in that draft. Kolesar, 27, has played in five seasons with the Golden Knights and helped them win the 2023 Stanley Cup.
Texier helped the Blue Jackets pull off a stunning upset of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019 shortly after making his NHL debut, but his career thus far has been limited by injuries and a personal situation related to his family that prompted him to miss the entire 2022-23 season while playing in Switzerland.
Texier contributed 34 goals, 45 assists and 79 points in 201 games for the Blue Jackets, including 12-18-30 in 78 games this past season.
Stay tuned for more Blue Jackets updates leading into the first round of the draft Friday. Columbus currently has the fourth overall pick but has received steady interest in obtaining it.
Don Waddell, the team's president of hockey operations/general manager, told the Dispatch on Friday: "We have many balls in the air, but are perfectly happy keeping our pick."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: NHL: Blue Jackets trade Texier to Blues for 2025 fourth-round pick
