2009 – 10 Montreal Canadiens season Season events . Off - season . The Canadiens announced Jacques Martin as their new head coach to replace Guy Carbonneau . Martin , the former coach and general manager of the Florida Panthers , and former coach of the Ottawa Senators and St . Louis Blues , is known for his defense - first style . On June 20 , the Canadiens announced that owner George Gillett had reached an agreement to sell his 80 % share of the team , the Bell Centre and the Gillett concert promotion company to Geoffrey , Justin and Andrew Molson . This represents the third time that the hockey club will be owned by the Molson family , which owned it from 1957 to 1971 and from 1978 to 2001 . The purchase price was not disclosed but was estimated at between $ 506 and 537 million . The deal was approved by the NHL board of governors on December 1 . At the Entry Draft , this year held in Montreal at the Bell Centre , the Canadiens made Louis Leblanc their first - round pick . The pick was notable as it was the Canadiens ' first first - round pick of a francophone since the team picked Eric Chouinard in the 1998 Entry Draft . Leblanc was born in the Montreal suburb of Kirkland , Quebec . General Manager Bob Gainey pursued a policy of change for the lineup . Prior to free agency , he traded for top center Scott Gomez in a seven - player deal from the New York Rangers . In free agency , the Canadiens signed Gomez ' s former New Jersey linemate Brian Gionta , high - scoring Calgary Flames forward Mike Cammalleri , checking line winger Travis Moen , and three defencemen : Hal Gill from Pittsburgh Penguins , Jaroslav Spacek from Buffalo Sabres , and Paul Mara from New York Rangers . Captain Saku Koivu was not offered a contract and instead signed with Anaheim Ducks . Alexei Kovalev turned down a contract and signed with Ottawa Senators . Mike Komisarek signed with Toronto Maple Leafs and Tom Kostopoulos signed with Carolina Hurricanes . Regular season . For the first time in franchise history , the Canadiens enter the regular season without a captain . On October 6 , 2009 , the Canadiens signed defenseman Marc - Andre Bergeron due to early injuries to Andrei Markov . On December 28 , 2009 , forward Michael Cammalleri scored the 20 , 000th goal in franchise history in a game against the Ottawa Senators . On February 8 , general manager ( GM ) Bob Gainey announced his retirement as GM from the club , staying on as advisor to the club . Assistant GM Pierre Gauthier becomes the interim GM . Gauthier and coach Jacques Martin held the same positions with the Ottawa Senators in the late 1990s . Player stats . Skaters . " Note : GP = Games played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; + / - = Plus / minus ; PIM = Penalty minutes " Goaltenders . " Note : GP = Games played ; TOI = Time on ice ( minutes ) ; W = Wins ; L = Losses ; OT = Overtime losses ; GA = Goals against ; SO = Shutouts ; SA = Shots against ; SV = Saves ; SV % = Save percentage ; GAA = Goals against average " Transactions . The Canadiens have been involved in the following transactions during the 2009 – 10 season . Draft picks . Montreal ' s picks at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal , Quebec . Farm teams . Hamilton Bulldogs . The Hamilton Bulldogs remain Montreal ' s top affiliate in the American Hockey League in 2009 – 10 . Cincinnati Cyclones . Montreal continues their affiliation alongside the Nashville Predators for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL in 2009 – 10 .