# 2015–16 Montreal Canadiens season

The 2015–16 Montreal Canadiens season was the 107th season of the franchise that was founded on December 4, 1909, and their 99th season in the National Hockey League.

## Off-season

On September 18, 2015, it was announced that Max Pacioretty was named the 29th captain after a player vote, with Andrei Markov, P. K. Subban, Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Plekanec as alternate captains. Gallagher and Markov will serve as alternates in home games, while Subban and Plekanec serve in road games.
The introduction of rookie goaltender Mike Condon to the main roster also highlighted notable off season moves by the club. After a stellar pre-season performance, Condon was ultimately rewarded for his play, subsequently replacing Dustin Tokarski on the goalie tandem as back-up to starter Carey Price.

## Regular season

The team began its regular season on October 7, 2015, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, recording a 3–1 victory. This season also marked the franchise's best start to a campaign with 9 consecutive wins. The Canadiens did not suffer a loss until their 10th game of the season, falling to the Vancouver Canucks' 5–1 on October 27.
Despite this, the notoriety of the 2015–16 Montreal Canadiens season had been the extensive amount of injuries which had plagued members of the main roster. At the forefront of this misfortune was starting goaltender Carey Price, who had suffered a lower-body injury during a 4‒3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on October 29, 2015. He was sidelined with the injury until November 20 in a 5‒3 win against the New York Islanders after having missed nine games with a 5‒2‒2 record.
However, on November 25, Price re-aggravated his lower-body injury in a 5‒1 victory against the New York Rangers and did not return for the third period. At the time, Price was expected to miss an additional 6 weeks. Ultimately, Price's return did not actualize, and, on April 6, 2016, the Montreal Canadiens announced that Price would not return for the 2015–16 season. The extent of Price's injury was revealed to be a medial collateral ligament injury (MCL sprain).
On November 22, against the New York Islanders, right winger Brendan Gallagher sustained injuries to his fingers after attempting to block a shot. His injuries required surgery and was expected to miss at least six weeks. Gallagher returned for the 2016 Winter Classic in a 5‒1 win against the Boston Bruins and managed a goal and an assist, also receiving the first star of the game.
On March 10, 2016, defenseman P. K. Subban sustained a neck injury after colliding with defenseman Alexei Emelin in a 3–2 win against the Buffalo Sabres. Subban was sent to the hospital as a precautionary measure, but was released the following day with a non-serious injury. On April 6, the club announced that Subban would miss the last two games of the 2015–16 season.
Other notable injuries included those to defencemen Tom Gilbert, Jeff Petry, as well as Nathan Beaulieu. Due to the magnitude of sidelined players, many prospects had gained the opportunity to draw select time in the lineup, with Michael McCarron, Morgan Ellis, Joel Hanley, Darren Dietz, Daniel Carr, Charles Hudon, Brett Lernout, Ryan Johnston, and goaltender Charlie Lindgren all making their respective NHL debuts at some point throughout the season.
The latter half of the Canadiens' season saw them face their worst slump since the 1939-40 season. With this, Montreal missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Similarly, no Canadian team in the NHL made the playoffs that year, marking the first time since 1970 that all Canadian franchises failed to qualify for the postseason.

## Standings

Atlantic Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | y – Florida Panthers | 82 | 47 | 26 | 9 | 40 | 239 | 203 | +36 | 103 |
| 2 | x – Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 46 | 31 | 5 | 43 | 227 | 201 | +26 | 97 |
| 3 | x – Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 39 | 211 | 224 | −13 | 93 |
| 4 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 42 | 31 | 9 | 38 | 240 | 230 | +10 | 93 |
| 5 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 38 | 35 | 9 | 32 | 236 | 247 | −11 | 85 |
| 6 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 38 | 38 | 6 | 33 | 221 | 236 | −15 | 82 |
| 7 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 33 | 201 | 222 | −21 | 81 |
| 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 29 | 42 | 11 | 23 | 198 | 246 | −48 | 69 |
Eastern Conference Wild Card :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | ME | x – New York Islanders | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 40 | 232 | 216 | +16 | 100 |
| 2 | ME | x – Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 41 | 27 | 14 | 38 | 214 | 218 | −4 | 96 |
| 3 | AT | Boston Bruins | 82 | 42 | 31 | 9 | 38 | 240 | 230 | +10 | 93 |
| 4 | ME | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 35 | 31 | 16 | 33 | 198 | 226 | −28 | 86 |
| 5 | AT | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 38 | 35 | 9 | 32 | 236 | 247 | −11 | 85 |
| 6 | ME | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 38 | 36 | 8 | 36 | 184 | 208 | −24 | 84 |
| 7 | AT | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 38 | 38 | 6 | 33 | 221 | 236 | −15 | 82 |
| 8 | AT | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 33 | 201 | 222 | −21 | 81 |
| 9 | ME | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 34 | 40 | 8 | 28 | 219 | 252 | −33 | 76 |
| 10 | AT | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 29 | 42 | 11 | 23 | 198 | 246 | −48 | 69 |

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2015–16 Game Log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics

Final stats

### Skaters

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Max Pacioretty | 82 | 30 | 34 | 64 | −10 | 34 |
| Alex Galchenyuk | 82 | 30 | 26 | 56 | −8 | 20 |
| Tomas Plekanec | 82 | 14 | 40 | 54 | 4 | 36 |
| P. K. Subban | 68 | 6 | 45 | 51 | 4 | 75 |
| Andrei Markov | 82 | 5 | 39 | 44 | −6 | 38 |
| Brendan Gallagher | 53 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 13 | 24 |
| David Desharnais | 65 | 11 | 18 | 29 | −6 | 20 |
| Dale Weise$^‡$ | 56 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 0 | 22 |
| Lars Eller | 79 | 13 | 13 | 26 | −13 | 28 |
| Tomas Fleischmann$^‡$ | 57 | 10 | 10 | 20 | −1 | 28 |
| Torrey Mitchell | 71 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 2 | 51 |
| Nathan Beaulieu | 64 | 2 | 17 | 19 | −6 | 55 |
| Paul Byron | 62 | 11 | 7 | 18 | −9 | 11 |
| Sven Andrighetto | 44 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 1 | 6 |
| Jeff Petry | 51 | 5 | 11 | 16 | −6 | 16 |
| Devante Smith-Pelly$^‡$ | 46 | 6 | 6 | 12 | −2 | 22 |
| Alexei Emelin | 72 | 0 | 12 | 12 | −7 | 71 |
| Brian Flynn | 56 | 4 | 6 | 10 | −3 | 6 |
| Mark Barberio | 30 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| Daniel Carr | 23 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 8 |
| Greg Pateryn | 38 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −8 | 49 |
| Joel Hanley | 10 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Phillip Danault$^†$ | 21 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −2 | 8 |
| Darren Dietz | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 13 |
| Alexander Semin$^‡$ | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 12 |
| Michael McCarron | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −10 | 37 |
| Tom Gilbert | 45 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| Mike Brown$^†$ | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −2 | 27 |
| Lucas Lessio | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Charles Hudon | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Christian Thomas$^‡$ | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Stefan Matteau$^†$ | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −4 | 4 |
| Jacob de la Rose | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −6 | 6 |
| Bud Holloway | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Victor Bartley$^†$ | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| John Scott$^†$ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| Morgan Ellis | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Brett Lernout | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Johnston | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jarred Tinordi$^‡$ | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 5 |

### Goaltenders

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Mike Condon | 55 | 51 | 3,122:44 | 21 | 25 | 6 | 141 | 2.71 | 1458 | .903 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carey Price | 12 | 12 | 698:20 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 2.06 | 365 | .934 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ben Scrivens | 15 | 14 | 821:58 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 3.07 | 447 | .906 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charlie Lindgren | 1 | 1 | 60:00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.00 | 28 | .929 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dustin Tokarski$^‡$ | 6 | 4 | 226:10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 3.18 | 98 | .878 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Canadiens. Stats reflect time with Canadiens only. $^‡$Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Canadiens only.

## Suspensions/fines

| Player | Explanation | Length | Salary | Date issued | Ref |
| Zack Kassian | Suspended indefinitely for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program | 2 months | N/A | October 5, 2015 | |

## Awards and honours
### Awards

Regular Season :
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| Carey Price | NHL First Star of the Week | October 19, 2015 |
| Andrei Markov | NHL Second Star of the Week | October 26, 2015 |
| Carey Price | NHL Second Star of the Month | November 2, 2015 |
| Mike Condon | NHL Third Star of the Week | November 9, 2015 |
| Alex Galchenyuk | NHL Third Star of the Week | November 30, 2015 |
| P. K. Subban | NHL All-Star Game selection | January 6, 2016 |
| John Scott | NHL First Star of the Week | February 1, 2016 |
| Mike Condon | NHL Third Star of the Week | February 29, 2016 |

### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Max Pacioretty | 400th Career NHL Game | October 7, 2015 |
| Tomas Plekanec | 500th Career NHL Point | October 10, 2015 |
| Mike Condon | 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Win | October 11, 2015 |
| Alex Galchenyuk | 200th Career NHL Game | October 20, 2015 |
| Andrei Markov | 500th Career NHL Point | October 23, 2015 |
| Tomas Plekanec | 300th Career NHL Assist | October 23, 2015 |
| Tom Gilbert | 600th Career NHL Game | October 23, 2015 |
| Dale Weise | 1st Career NHL Hat-trick | October 31, 2015 |
| Nathan Beaulieu | 100th Career NHL Game | November 1, 2015 |
| Tomas Fleischmann | 600th Career NHL Game | November 16, 2015 |
| Max Pacioretty | 300th Career NHL Point | November 23, 2015 |
| Bud Holloway | 1st Career NHL Game | November 27, 2015 |
| Daniel Carr | 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | December 5, 2015 |
| Charles Hudon | 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | December 10, 2015 |
| Brian Flynn | 200th Career NHL Game | December 15, 2015 |
| Michael McCarron | 1st Career NHL Game | December 19, 2015 |
| Dale Weise | 300th Career NHL Game | January 17, 2016 |
| Torrey Mitchell | 500th Career NHL Game | February 7, 2016 |
| Michael McCarron | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | February 27, 2016 |
| Morgan Ellis | 1st Career NHL Game | March 2, 2016 |
| Darren Dietz | 1st Career NHL Game | March 12, 2016 |
| Greg Pateryn | 1st Career NHL Goal | March 16, 2016 |
| Mike Brown | 400th Career NHL Game | March 18, 2016 |
| Joel Hanley | 1st Career NHL Game | March 20, 2016 |
| Michael McCarron | 1st Career NHL Goal | March 20, 2016 |
| Joel Hanley | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | March 22, 2016 |
| Darren Dietz | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | March 22, 2016 |
| Mike Condon | 1st Career Shutout | March 31, 2016 |
| David Desharnais | 400th Career NHL Game | March 31, 2016 |
| Alexei Emelin | 300th Career NHL Game | March 31, 2016 |
| Brett Lernout | 1st Career NHL Game | April 2, 2016 |
| Ryan Johnston | 1st Career NHL Game | April 5, 2016 |
| Charlie Lindgren | 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Win | April 7, 2016 |
| Darren Dietz | 1st Career NHL Goal | April 7, 2016 |
| Paul Byron | 200th Career NHL Game | April 9, 2016 |

## Transactions

The Canadiens have been involved in the following transactions during the 2015–16 season:

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) | To Vancouver CanucksBrandon Prust | To Montreal CanadiensZack Kassian 5th-round pick in 2016 |
| December 15, 2015 (2015-12-15) | To Arizona CoyotesChristian Thomas | To Montreal CanadiensLucas Lessio |
| December 28, 2015 (2015-12-28) | To Edmonton OilersZack Kassian | To Montreal CanadiensBen Scrivens |
| January 7, 2016 (2016-01-07) | To Anaheim DucksDustin Tokarski | To Montreal CanadiensMax Friberg |
| January 15, 2016 (2016-01-15) | To Arizona CoyotesJarred Tinordi Stefan Fournier | To Montreal CanadiensVictor Bartley John Scott |
| February 26, 2016 (2016-02-26) | To Chicago BlackhawksDale Weise Tomas Fleischmann | To Montreal CanadiensPhillip Danault 2nd-round pick in 2018 |
| February 29, 2016 (2016-02-29) | To New Jersey DevilsDevante Smith-Pelly | To Montreal CanadiensStefan Matteau |

### Free agents acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Contract terms (in U.S. dollars) |
| July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) | Joel Hanley | Portland Pirates | 1 year, two-way contract |
| July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) | Mark Barberio | Tampa Bay Lightning | 1 year, two-way contract |
| July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) | Bud Holloway | SC Bern | 1 year, two-way contract |
| July 13, 2015 (2015-07-13) | Ryan Johnston | Colgate University Raiders | 2 years, two-way contract |
| July 24, 2015 (2015-07-24) | Alexander Semin | Carolina Hurricanes | 1 year, $1.1 million |
| October 4, 2015 (2015-10-04) | Tomas Fleischmann | Anaheim Ducks | 1 year, $750,000 |
| March 26, 2016 (2016-03-26) | Tom Parisi | Providence Friars | 2 years, two-way contract |
| March 30, 2016 (2016-03-30) | Charlie Lindgren | St. Cloud State Huskies | 2 years, two-way contract |

### Free agents lost

| Date | Player | New team | Contract terms (in U.S. dollars) |
| May 8, 2015 (2015-05-08) | Magnus Nygren | Färjestad BK | 1 year |
| June 19, 2015 (2015-06-19) | Joey MacDonald | Schwenninger Wild Wings | 1 year |
| July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) | P. A. Parenteau | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 year, $1.5 million |
| July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) | Davis Drewiske | Philadelphia Flyers | 1 year, two-way contract |
| July 8, 2015 (2015-07-08) | Eric Tangradi | Detroit Red Wings | 1 year, $575,000 |
| October 12, 2015 (2015-10-12) | Drayson Bowman | Colorado Eagles | 1 year |
| December 3, 2015 (2015-12-03) | Manny Malhotra | Lake Erie Monsters | 1 year |

### Claimed via waivers

| Player | Previous team | Date | Ref |
| Paul Byron | Calgary Flames | October 6, 2015 | |
| Mike Brown | San Jose Sharks | February 29, 2016 | |

### Lost via release

| Player | Date | Ref |
| Alexander Semin | December 10, 2015 (2015-12-10) | |

### Player signings

| Date | Player | Contract terms (in U.S. dollars) |
| June 30, 2015 (2015-06-30) | Brian Flynn | 2 years, $1.9 million contract extension |
| July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) | Greg Pateryn | 2 years, $1.6 million contract extension |
| July 2, 2015 (2015-07-02) | Christian Thomas | 1 year, two-way contract extension |
| July 9, 2015 (2015-07-09) | Noah Juulsen | 3 years, entry-level contract |
| July 14, 2015 (2015-07-14) | Michael Bournival | 1 year, two-way contract extension |
| July 15, 2015 (2015-07-15) | Jarred Tinordi | 1 year, two-way contract extension |
| July 24, 2015 (2015-07-24) | Daniel Audette | 3 years, entry-level contract |
| July 30, 2015 (2015-07-30) | Alex Galchenyuk | 2 years, $5.6 million contract extension |
| September 24, 2015 (2015-09-24) | Michael McNiven | 3 years, entry-level contract |
| October 16, 2015 (2015-10-16) | Tomas Plekanec | 2 years, $12 million contract extension |
| February 23, 2016 (2016-02-23) | Paul Byron | 3 years, $3.5 million contract extension |
| May 8, 2016 (2016-05-08) | Artturi Lehkonen | 3 years, entry-level contract |
| May 18, 2016 (2016-05-18) | Martin Reway | 3 years, entry-level contract |
| June 11, 2016 (2016-06-11) | Sven Andrighetto | 1 year, contract extension |
| June 13, 2016 (2016-06-13) | Mark Barberio | 2 years, $1.5 million contract extension |
| June 22, 2016 (2016-06-22) | Joel Hanley | 1 year, two-way contract extension |

## Draft picks

Below are the Montreal Canadiens' selections at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, held on June 26–27, 2015 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 26 | Noah Juulsen | D | Canada | Everett Silvertips (WHL) |
| 3 | 87 | Lukas Vejdemo | C | Sweden | Djurgårdens IF (SHL) |
| 5 | 131$^a$ | Matthew Bradley | C | Canada | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) |
| 6 | 177 | Simon Bourque | D | Canada | Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL) |
| 7 | 207 | Jeremiah Addison | LW | Canada | Ottawa 67's (OHL) |