# 2005–06 Phoenix Coyotes season

The 2005–06 Phoenix Coyotes season was the franchise's 34th season overall, 27th season in the National Hockey League and tenth season in Phoenix. Retired player Wayne Gretzky was named coach. The Coyotes missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

## Offseason

Key dates prior to the start of the season:
* The 2005 NHL entry draft took place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on July 30, 2005.
* The free agency period began on August 1.
* On August 6, 2004, Brett Hull, son of former Jet Bobby Hull, was signed. After wearing his customary number 16 during the preseason and the first two games of the regular season, he was re-assigned the elder Hull's retired number 9.
* August 8, 2005 – The Coyotes introduced Gretzky as its new head coach, replacing Rick Bowness, despite the fact that he had never coached at any level of hockey. The Coyotes Ring of Honor was unveiled on October 8, inducting Gretzky and Bobby Hull. One week later, Brett Hull announced his retirement. On January 21, 2006, Jets great Thomas Steen was the third inductee to the Ring of Honor. On April 13, Steve Ellman announced an agreement for Jerry Moyes to assume majority ownership control of the Coyotes, Glendale Arena and the National Lacrosse League's Arizona Sting.

## Wayne Gretzky

Despite previous denials that Wayne Gretzky would not assume coaching duties, on August 8, 2005 Gretzky agreed to become the new coach of the Coyotes.
In the time leading up to Gretzky's announcement, several prominent free agents signed with Phoenix citing the chance to play for Gretzky, including Brett Hull. Hull, who was briefly Gretzky's right winger, only lasted five games and only scored one assist before retiring. Ironically, "The Golden Brett" would have had the record for the most goals over any given three seasons — he scored 228 goals between 1989–90 and 1991–92 — if it weren't for The Great One. From 1981–82 to 1983–84, Gretzky scored 254 goals.
Gretzky made his coaching debut on October 5, 2005, the opening night of the 2005–06 NHL season, losing 3–2 to the Vancouver Canucks. His first coaching victory was October 8, 2005, beating the Minnesota Wild 2–1. Gretzky took an indefinite leave of absence as coach on December 17, 2005 to care for his ill mother in Brantford, Ontario. His mother lost her battle to lung cancer two days later, dying on December 19, 2005. Assistant coach Rick Tocchet assumed the position until Gretzky's return on December 28. Coyotes' CEO Jeff Shumway announced on June 5, 2006 that Gretzky has agreed to a new five-year contract to remain as head coach.

## Regular season

Also in the 2005–06 season, the Coyotes were planning to host the NHL all-star game. Due to the XX Winter Olympic Games, the game was canceled. Wayne Gretzky was the General Manager of the Canadian Olympic Hockey Team. Coyotes captain Shane Doan was selected for the Canadian team.
The Coyotes tied the Los Angeles Kings for most power-play opportunities, with 541.

### Final standings

Pacific Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | Dallas Stars | 82 | 53 | 23 | 6 | 265 | 218 | 112 |
| 2 | 5 | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 266 | 242 | 99 |
| 3 | 6 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 254 | 229 | 98 |
| 4 | 10 | Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 42 | 35 | 5 | 249 | 270 | 89 |
| 5 | 12 | Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 246 | 271 | 81 |
Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | P- Detroit Red Wings | CE | 82 | 58 | 16 | 8 | 305 | 209 | 124 |
| 2 | Y- Dallas Stars | PA | 82 | 53 | 23 | 6 | 265 | 218 | 112 |
| 3 | Y- Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 46 | 25 | 11 | 218 | 200 | 103 |
| 4 | X- Nashville Predators | CE | 82 | 49 | 25 | 8 | 259 | 227 | 106 |
| 5 | X- San Jose Sharks | PA | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 266 | 242 | 99 |
| 6 | X- Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PA | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 254 | 229 | 98 |
| 7 | X- Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 283 | 257 | 95 |
| 8 | X- Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 41 | 28 | 13 | 256 | 251 | 95 |
| 8.5 ||||||||||
| 9 | Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 42 | 32 | 8 | 256 | 255 | 92 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Kings | PA | 82 | 42 | 35 | 5 | 249 | 270 | 89 |
| 11 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 38 | 36 | 8 | 231 | 215 | 84 |
| 12 | Phoenix Coyotes | PA | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 246 | 271 | 81 |
| 13 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CE | 82 | 35 | 43 | 4 | 223 | 279 | 74 |
| 14 | Chicago Blackhawks | CE | 82 | 26 | 43 | 13 | 211 | 285 | 65 |
| 15 | St. Louis Blues | CE | 82 | 21 | 46 | 15 | 197 | 292 | 57 |
Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific, NW – Northwest
P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Schedule and results

2005–06 regular season :
October: 5–8–1 (home: 3–2–1; road: 2–6–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1LOctober 5, 20052–3@ Vancouver Canucks (2005–06)0–1–0Recap
2LOctober 6, 20052–3@ Los Angeles Kings (2005–06)0–2–0Recap
3WOctober 8, 20052–1Minnesota Wild (2005–06)1–2–0Recap
4LOctober 11, 20052–3@ Dallas Stars (2005–06)1–3–0Recap
5LOctober 13, 20054–5 SONashville Predators (2005–06)1–3–1Recap
6LOctober 15, 20050–2Detroit Red Wings (2005–06)1–4–1Recap
7WOctober 17, 20052–0@ Calgary Flames (2005–06)2–4–1Recap
8WOctober 18, 20054–3 OT@ Edmonton Oilers (2005–06)3–4–1Recap
9LOctober 20, 20052–3@ Vancouver Canucks (2005–06)3–5–1Recap
10LOctober 23, 20053–5@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2005–06)3–6–1Recap
11WOctober 25, 20055–4 OTSt. Louis Blues (2005–06)4–6–1Recap
12WOctober 27, 20053–2Calgary Flames (2005–06)5–6–1Recap
13LOctober 29, 20053–5Dallas Stars (2005–06)5–7–1Recap
14LOctober 30, 20052–3@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2005–06)5–8–1Recap :
November: 8–4–1 (home: 4–3–0; road: 4–1–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
15WNovember 3, 20054–0Los Angeles Kings (2005–06)6–8–1Recap
16WNovember 5, 20054–1@ Detroit Red Wings (2005–06)7–8–1Recap
17LNovember 6, 20051–2 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (2005–06)7–8–2Recap
18WNovember 8, 20054–2@ Minnesota Wild (2005–06)8–8–2Recap
19LNovember 10, 20053–4Calgary Flames (2005–06)8–9–2Recap
20WNovember 12, 20052–1 OTMighty Ducks of Anaheim (2005–06)9–9–2Recap
21LNovember 16, 20051–3Colorado Avalanche (2005–06)9–10–2Recap
22WNovember 19, 20054–3 SO@ San Jose Sharks (2005–06)10–10–2Recap
23WNovember 20, 20055–1Columbus Blue Jackets (2005–06)11–10–2Recap
24LNovember 22, 20051–2Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2005–06)11–11–2Recap
25WNovember 25, 20054–1@ Dallas Stars (2005–06)12–11–2Recap
26WNovember 26, 20052–1Vancouver Canucks (2005–06)13–11–2Recap
27LNovember 30, 20051–6@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2005–06)13–12–2Recap :
December: 7–6–0 (home: 4–2–0; road: 3–4–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
28WDecember 3, 20058–4Carolina Hurricanes (2005–06)14–12–2Recap
29WDecember 5, 20055–2Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)15–12–2Recap
30WDecember 11, 20052–1 OT@ Boston Bruins (2005–06)16–12–2Recap
31LDecember 13, 20052–5@ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)16–13–2Recap
32LDecember 15, 20051–3Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)16–14–2Recap
33LDecember 17, 20051–4@ Los Angeles Kings (2005–06)16–15–2Recap
34LDecember 20, 20054–5St. Louis Blues (2005–06)16–16–2Recap
35WDecember 22, 20052–1San Jose Sharks (2005–06)17–16–2Recap
36WDecember 23, 20053–2@ Dallas Stars (2005–06)18–16–2Recap
37LDecember 26, 20054–7@ Colorado Avalanche (2005–06)18–17–2Recap
38WDecember 28, 20055–4@ San Jose Sharks (2005–06)19–17–2Recap
39WDecember 29, 20056–5 OTLos Angeles Kings (2005–06)20–17–2Recap
40LDecember 31, 20052–5Colorado Avalanche (2005–06)20–18–2Recap :
January: 6–7–1 (home: 3–3–1; road: 3–4–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
41LJanuary 5, 20060–4@ Los Angeles Kings (2005–06)20–19–2Recap
42LJanuary 8, 20062–5Columbus Blue Jackets (2005–06)20–20–2Recap
43LJanuary 10, 20062–7@ Ottawa Senators (2005–06)20–21–2Recap
44WJanuary 12, 20062–1 SO@ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)21–21–2Recap
45WJanuary 14, 20064–3@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)22–21–2Recap
46LJanuary 16, 20061–6Washington Capitals (2005–06)22–22–2Recap
47WJanuary 19, 20066–3Florida Panthers (2005–06)23–22–2Recap
48WJanuary 21, 20064–3 SOEdmonton Oilers (2005–06)24–22–2Recap
49LJanuary 23, 20061–4@ Dallas Stars (2005–06)24–23–2Recap
50LJanuary 24, 20062–3@ Minnesota Wild (2005–06)24–24–2Recap
51WJanuary 26, 20065–3@ St. Louis Blues (2005–06)25–24–2Recap
52WJanuary 28, 20066–2San Jose Sharks (2005–06)26–24–2Recap
53LJanuary 29, 20063–4 SOEdmonton Oilers (2005–06)26–24–3Recap
54LJanuary 31, 20064–7Vancouver Canucks (2005–06)26–25–3Recap :
February: 1–3–1 (home: 1–3–1; road: 0–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
55WFebruary 2, 20062–1 SOLos Angeles Kings (2005–06)27–25–3Recap
56LFebruary 4, 20064–6Minnesota Wild (2005–06)27–26–3Recap
57LFebruary 7, 20061–3Chicago Blackhawks (2005–06)27–27–3Recap
58LFebruary 9, 20061–5Dallas Stars (2005–06)27–28–3Recap
59LFebruary 12, 20064–5 OTSan Jose Sharks (2005–06)27–28–4Recap :
March: 8–6–0 (home: 3–3–0; road: 5–3–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
60WMarch 2, 20066–2Dallas Stars (2005–06)28–28–4Recap
61LMarch 4, 20063–7Detroit Red Wings (2005–06)28–29–4Recap
62WMarch 7, 20065–2@ Detroit Red Wings (2005–06)29–29–4Recap
63LMarch 9, 20064–5@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2005–06)29–30–4Recap
64LMarch 11, 20063–5Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2005–06)29–31–4Recap
65LMarch 12, 20062–5@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2005–06)29–32–4Recap
66WMarch 14, 20066–2@ Los Angeles Kings (2005–06)30–32–4Recap
67LMarch 16, 20060–2@ Nashville Predators (2005–06)30–33–4Recap
68WMarch 19, 20063–2@ Chicago Blackhawks (2005–06)31–33–4Recap
69WMarch 21, 20065–2@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2005–06)32–33–4Recap
70WMarch 23, 20064–3Chicago Blackhawks (2005–06)33–33–4Recap
71LMarch 25, 20062–5Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2005–06)33–34–4Recap
72WMarch 28, 20065–3Nashville Predators (2005–06)34–34–4Recap
73WMarch 30, 20065–2@ San Jose Sharks (2005–06)35–34–4Recap :
April: 3–5–1 (home: 1–1–1; road: 2–4–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
74WApril 1, 20064–3 OT@ San Jose Sharks (2005–06)36–34–4Recap
75LApril 3, 20061–7@ Edmonton Oilers (2005–06)36–35–4Recap
76LApril 5, 20062–5@ Calgary Flames (2005–06)36–36–4Recap
77LApril 8, 20062–3 SODallas Stars (2005–06)36–36–5Recap
78LApril 10, 20062–3San Jose Sharks (2005–06)36–37–5Recap
79LApril 11, 20064–6@ Colorado Avalanche (2005–06)36–38–5Recap
80WApril 13, 20063–0Los Angeles Kings (2005–06)37–38–5Recap
81LApril 15, 20061–5@ Nashville Predators (2005–06)37–39–5Recap
82WApril 16, 20063–0@ St. Louis Blues (2005–06)38–39–5Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 19 | Shane Doan | RW | 82 | 30 | 36 | 66 | −9 | 123 |
| 89 | Mike Comrie | C | 80 | 30 | 30 | 60 | 2 | 55 |
| 17 | Ladislav Nagy | LW | 51 | 15 | 41 | 56 | 8 | 74 |
| 12 | Mike Johnson | RW | 80 | 16 | 38 | 54 | 7 | 50 |
| 23 | Paul Mara | D | 78 | 15 | 32 | 47 | −12 | 70 |
| 8 | Geoff Sanderson† | LW | 75 | 25 | 21 | 46 | −14 | 58 |
| 2 | Keith Ballard | D | 82 | 8 | 31 | 39 | −18 | 99 |
| 53 | Derek Morris | D | 53 | 6 | 21 | 27 | −7 | 54 |
| 91 | Oleg Saprykin | LW | 67 | 11 | 14 | 25 | −16 | 50 |
| 4 | Zbynek Michalek | D | 82 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 4 | 62 |
| 29 | Steve Reinprecht† | C | 28 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 1 | 8 |
| 38 | Dave Scatchard† | C | 47 | 11 | 12 | 23 | −11 | 84 |
| 20 | Fredrik Sjostrom | RW | 75 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 1 | 42 |
| 15 | Boyd Devereaux | C | 78 | 8 | 14 | 22 | −13 | 44 |
| 28 | Mike Leclerc‡ | LW | 35 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 0 | 29 |
| 16 | Jamie Lundmark†‡ | C | 38 | 5 | 13 | 18 | −1 | 36 |
| 40 | Mike Ricci | C | 78 | 10 | 6 | 16 | −22 | 69 |
| 11 | Oleg Kvasha† | LW | 15 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 6 |
| 3 | Denis Gauthier‡ | D | 45 | 2 | 9 | 11 | −4 | 61 |
| 93 | Petr Nedved‡ | C | 25 | 2 | 9 | 11 | −6 | 34 |
| 22 | Dennis Seidenberg† | D | 34 | 1 | 10 | 11 | −9 | 14 |
| 21 | Sean O'Donnell‡ | D | 57 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 121 |
| 18 | Tyson Nash | LW | 50 | 0 | 6 | 6 | −7 | 84 |
| 5 | Jamie Rivers† | D | 18 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 26 |
| 5 | David Tanabe‡ | D | 21 | 0 | 4 | 4 | −5 | 8 |
| 11 | Krys Kolanos‡†‡ | C | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 21 | Bill Thomas† | RW | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −2 | 8 |
| 26 | Joel Perrault† | C | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 55 | Matt Jones | D | 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 14 |
| 24 | Josh Gratton† | LW | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −3 | 30 |
| 29 | Yanick Lehoux†‡† | C | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 | Steve Gainey† | LW | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 20 |
| 9 | Brett Hull‡ | RW | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 0 |
| 31 | Curtis Joseph | G | 60 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 18 |
| 6 | Matthew Spiller | D | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 13 |
| 33 | Brian Boucher‡ | G | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 |
| 28 | Pavel Brendl† | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 0 |
| 29 | Tim Jackman†‡ | RW | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
| 30 | David LeNeveu | G | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 22 | Pascal Rheaume† | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 13 | Michael Rupp‡ | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Philippe Sauve† | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 14 | Jeff Taffe‡† | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltending

* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | OT | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 31 | Curtis Joseph | 60 | 32 | 21 | 3 | 1690 | 166 | 2.91 | .902 | 4 | 3424 |
| 33 | Brian Boucher‡ | 11 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 268 | 33 | 3.87 | .877 | 0 | 512 |
| 30 | David LeNeveu | 15 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 386 | 44 | 3.24 | .886 | 0 | 814 |
| 35 | Philippe Sauve† | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 128 | 17 | 5.45 | .867 | 0 | 187 |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Week | Steven Reinprecht (April 3) |
| Team | Hardest Working Player Award | Keith Ballard |
| Team | Leading Scorer Award | Shane Doan |
| Team | Man of the Year Award | Keith Ballard |
| Team | Man of the Year Award | Fredrik Sjostrom |
| Team | Team MVP Award | Curtis Joseph |
| Team | Three-Star Award | Curtis Joseph |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Keith Ballard | October 5, 2005 |
| First game | David LeNeveu | October 6, 2005 |
| First game | Yanick Lehoux | November 8, 2005 |
| First game | Matt Jones | November 25, 2005 |
| First game | Bill Thomas | March 28, 2006 |
| First game | Joel Perrault | April 8, 2006 |
| 1,000th game played | Geoff Sanderson | April 8, 2006 |

## Transactions

The Coyotes were involved in the following transactions from February 17, 2005, the day after the 2004–05 NHL season was officially cancelled, through June 19, 2006, the day of the deciding game of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| July 28, 2005 (2005-07-28) | To Tampa Bay Lightning Jason Jaspers | To Phoenix Coyotes Jarrod Skalde |
| July 30, 2005 (2005-07-30) | To Philadelphia Flyers Columbus’ 4th-round pick in 20052nd-round pick in 2006 | To Phoenix Coyotes Anaheim’s 2nd-round pick in 2005 |
| August 23, 2005 (2005-08-23) | To Anaheim Mighty Ducks Conditional 4th-round pick in 2007 | To Phoenix Coyotes Mike Leclerc |
| August 26, 2005 (2005-08-26) | To Minnesota Wild Erik WestrumDustin Wood | To Phoenix Coyotes Zbynek Michalek |
| October 8, 2005 (2005-10-08) | To Columbus Blue Jackets Jason ChimeraCale HulseMike Rupp | To Phoenix Coyotes Tim JackmanGeoff Sanderson |
| October 18, 2005 (2005-10-18) | To New York Rangers Jeff Taffe | To Phoenix Coyotes Jamie Lundmark |
| October 24, 2005 (2005-10-24) | To Nashville Predators Rick Berry | To Phoenix Coyotes Future considerations |
| November 18, 2005 (2005-11-18) | To Boston Bruins David Tanabe | To Phoenix Coyotes Dave Scatchard |
| November 25, 2005 (2005-11-25) | To New Jersey Devils Brad Ference | To Phoenix Coyotes Pascal RheaumeRay SchultzSteven Spencer |
| December 28, 2005 (2005-12-28) | To Philadelphia Flyers Kiel McLeod | To Phoenix Coyotes Eric Chouinard |
| December 28, 2005 (2005-12-28) | To Carolina Hurricanes Krys Kolanos | To Phoenix Coyotes Pavel Brendl |
| January 20, 2006 (2006-01-20) | To Philadelphia Flyers Petr NedvedOption to switch 4th-round picks in 2006Option to switch 3rd-round picks in 2007 | To Phoenix Coyotes Dennis Seidenberg |
| January 24, 2006 (2006-01-24) | To New York Rangers Martin Sonnenberg | To Phoenix Coyotes Jeff Taffe |
| February 1, 2006 (2006-02-01) | To Calgary Flames Brian BoucherMike Leclerc | To Phoenix Coyotes Steven ReinprechtPhilippe Sauve |
| February 3, 2006 (2006-02-03) | To Washington Capitals Doug Doull | To Phoenix Coyotes Dwayne Zinger |
| March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) | To Philadelphia Flyers Denis Gauthier | To Phoenix Coyotes Josh GrattonFlorida’s 2nd-round pick in 2006Tampa Bay’s 2nd-round pick in 2006 |
| March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) | To Anaheim Mighty Ducks Sean O'Donnell | To Phoenix Coyotes Joel Perrault |
| March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) | To Detroit Red Wings 7th-round pick in 2006 | To Phoenix Coyotes Jamie Rivers |
| March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) | To Los Angeles Kings Tim Jackman | To Phoenix Coyotes Yanick Lehoux |
| March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) | To New York Islanders 3rd-round pick in 2006 | To Phoenix Coyotes Oleg KvashaConditional 5th-round pick in 2006 |
| March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) | To Calgary Flames Jamie Lundmark | To Phoenix Coyotes 4th-round pick in 2006 |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| August 11, 2005 (2005-08-11) | Chris McAllister | Newcastle Vipers (BNL) | | Free agency |
| August 17, 2005 (2005-08-17) | Curtis Joseph | Detroit Red Wings | 1-year | Free agency |
| August 19, 2005 (2005-08-19) | Steve Passmore | Adler Mannheim (DEL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| September 19, 2005 (2005-09-19) | Mike Bishai | Edmonton Oilers | | Free agency |
| November 4, 2005 (2005-11-04) | Steve Gainey | San Antonio Rampage (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| November 5, 2005 (2005-11-05) | Yanick Lehoux | Los Angeles Kings | | Waivers |
| December 19, 2005 (2005-12-19) | Krys Kolanos | Edmonton Oilers | | Waivers |
| December 29, 2005 (2005-12-29) | Vladimir Orszagh | Lulea HF (SHL) | 2-year | Free agency |
| March 27, 2006 (2006-03-27) | Bill Thomas | University of Nebraska Omaha (CCHA) | | Free agency |
| May 5, 2006 (2006-05-05) | Patrick Fischer | EV Zug (NLA) | multi-year | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| July 29, 2005 (2005-07-29) | Brian Savage | Philadelphia Flyers | Compliance buyout |
| August 1, 2005 (2005-08-01) | Andrei Nazarov | Minnesota Wild | Free agency (III) |
| August 2, 2005 (2005-08-02) | Jon Sim | Philadelphia Flyers | Free agency |
| August 19, 2005 (2005-08-19) | Jean-Marc Pelletier | Florida Panthers | Free agency (VI) |
| September 1, 2005 (2005-09-01) | Brent Johnson | Vancouver Canucks | Free agency (UFA) |
| September 7, 2005 (2005-09-07) | Mike Stutzel | Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 4, 2005 (2005-10-04) | Daniel Cleary | Detroit Red Wings | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 15, 2005 (2005-10-15) | Brett Hull | | Retirement |
| October 22, 2005 (2005-10-22) | Nikos Tselios | KalPa (Liiga) | Free agency (VI) |
| November 11, 2005 (2005-11-11) | Krys Kolanos | Edmonton Oilers | Waivers |
| November 25, 2005 (2005-11-25) | Yanick Lehoux | Los Angeles Kings | Waivers |
| December 30, 2005 (2005-12-30) | Vladimir Orszagh | St. Louis Blues | Waivers |
| May 4, 2006 (2006-05-04) | Pavel Brendl | Mora IK (SHL) | Free agency |
| May 11, 2006 (2006-05-11) | Steve Passmore | EC Graz 99ers (EBEL) | Free agency |
| June 6, 2006 (2006-06-06) | Sheldon Keefe | | Retirement |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| August 2, 2005 (2005-08-02) | Brian Boucher | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 3, 2005 (2005-08-03) | Matt Jones | 2-year | Entry-level |
| August 5, 2005 (2005-08-05) | Brad Ference | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 11, 2005 (2005-08-11) | Derek Morris | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) | Krys Kolanos | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) | Jeff Taffe | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 22, 2005 (2005-08-22) | Paul Mara | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 19, 2005 (2005-09-19) | Sheldon Keefe | | Re-signing |
| March 8, 2006 (2006-03-08) | Derek Morris | 3-year | Extension |
| March 8, 2006 (2006-03-08) | Steven Reinprecht | 3-year | Extension |
| March 31, 2006 (2006-03-31) | Daniel Winnik | | Entry-level |
| April 15, 2006 (2006-04-15) | Zbynek Michalek | 4-year | Extension |
| May 5, 2006 (2006-05-05) | Keith Yandle | | Entry-level |
| May 12, 2006 (2006-05-12) | Kevin Cormier | | Entry-level |
| May 26, 2006 (2006-05-26) | Curtis Joseph | 1-year | Re-signing |
| June 1, 2006 (2006-06-01) | Enver Lisin | | Entry-level |
| June 1, 2006 (2006-06-01) | Logan Stephenson | | Entry-level |

## Draft picks

Phoenix's draft picks at the 2005 NHL entry draft held at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team |
| 1 | 17 | Martin Hanzal (C) | Czech Republic | Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic) |
| 2 | 59 | Pier-Olivier Pelletier (G) | Canada | Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) |
| 4 | 105 | Keith Yandle (D) | United States | Cushing Academy (USHS-MA) |
| 5 | 148 | Anton Krysanov (C) | Russia | Lada Togliatti (Russia) |
| 7 | 212 | Pat Brosnihan (RW) | United States | Worcester Academy (USHS-MA) |

## Farm teams

* San Antonio Rampage, American Hockey League