Alexander Picardo

Alexandre Picard was selected 85th overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. Following his rookie season at the junior level with the Halifax MooseHeads in 2001-2002, Alex Picard helped lead the team to the 2002-2003 Presidents Cup Finals. The following season he would be traded, but he returned to Halifax his junior year in 2004-2005 to complete his 4-year junior career.

Alexandre Picard spent a full season honing his game in the AHL with the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2005-2006. He was called up to the NHL the following season after just 6 games with the Phantoms to replace the injured Mike Rathje. The following season in 2007-2008 sparked a series of trades for Alex Picard.

On August 29, 2008, Alexandre Picard was traded to the Ottawa Senators along with Filip Kuba and a first round pick for Andrej Meszaros. Then on February 12, 2010, Alexandre Picard (who had been a healthy scratch for much of the season) along with Ottawa’s second round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Matt Cullen. Finally, on July 31, 2010, Alexandre Picard signed a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens.

Alex Picard is a puck-moving defenseman who likes to take his time. Patience is his virtue and he prefers to hang on to the puck while he has time to examine the play. Usually, his late play causes the defense to close in on him and turnovers occur.

He finds his place in the third defense couple in Montreal. Picard can be used on the power play, but it’s better if minutes are saved. He’s been making a name for himself of late and, while he’s not a stellar defenseman, he’s versatile and plays well enough to go under the radar.

Some of Alex Picard’s strengths include his vision. He is a defender who sees the ice well. Besides this, he is a good record player. He makes crisp passes and isn’t afraid to slow down the game to make the right decision.

Like every defenseman, Alexandre Picard hiccups and occasionally does an airhead move to turn the puck over. Alex Picard’s defensive game needs to improve and at times he needs to be quicker and make quicker decisions to keep up with the fast pace of the National Hockey League.

Alexandre Picard proved he could stay in the NHL when, on February 1, 2007, he recorded five assists in a game against the New Jersey Devils, nearly tying the franchise record set by Eric Lindros.