2011 - 12 Montreal Canadiens season The 2011 – 12 Montreal Canadiens season was the team ' s 103rd season in franchise history and their 95th season in the National Hockey League since the league was established on November 22 , 1917 . Off - season . Heading into the off - season , Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier had certain issues to address . There were several unrestriced free agents on the team that included , most notably Jeff Halpern , Roman Hamrlik , Alex Auld , Brent Sopel , Hal Gill , James Wisniewski , Mathieu Darche and Andrei Markov . The team managed to re - sign Gill , Darche and Markov . On the other hand , no contracts were offered to Halpern , Auld and Sopel , thus allowing them to leave the team . Roman Hamrlik rejected the Canadiens ' s one - year offer and instead accepted a two - year contract with the Washington Capitals . James Wisniewski let it be known that he would be testing the free agent market ( where a bidding war for his services would ensue ) . On June 29 , his negotiating rights were traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets . On the restricted free agent side , qualifying offers were made to Andrei Kostitsyn , Max Pacioretty , David Desharnais , Yannick Weber , Ryan White and Josh Gorges , all were eventually re - signed . No qualifying offers were made to forwards Dustin Boyd , Tom Pyatt , Benoit Pouliot and defenseman Alexandre Picard , thus allowing them to become unrestricted free agents . On the first day of free agency on July 1 , Pierre Gauthier addressed two needs , a big body forward and a reliable back - up goaltender . They were successful in signing forward Erik Cole from the Carolina Hurricanes to a four - year contract worth $ 18 million . The need for a capable back - up goaltender to help out Carey Price was also fulfilled when they signed free agent Peter Budaj from the Colorado Avalanche to a two - year contract worth $ 2 . 3 million . Another notable transaction during the off - season is the signing of rugged Russian defenceman Alexei Yemelin to a one - year , two - way contract for the 2011 – 12 season . Yemelin , drafted by the team in the third round with the 84th overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft , was under the Canadiens radar for quite some time . He finally agreed to make the jump to North America when a clause was inserted in his contract , stating that he would be able to return to the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia should he be unable to crack the Canadiens roster . Yemelin is often compared to fellow Russian and former NHL defenceman Darius Kasparaitis , who was known for his aggressive physical playing style . Assistant coach Kirk Muller , who was part of the Canadiens coaching staff since 2006 , confirmed rumours that he was actively seeking a head coaching position in the NHL and would be leaving the team . On June 27 , 2011 , following his inability to find a head coaching position in the NHL , the Nashville Predators announced that Muller had been hired as the head coach of their AHL affiliate , the Milwaukee Admirals . He would later fulfill his dream when on November 28 , 2011 , Muller became coach of the Carolina Hurricanes , taking over for Paul Maurice . Following Muller ' s departure , general manager Pierre Gauthier announced the appointment of Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur as assistant coaches . Cunneyworth and Ladouceur were coach and assistant coach respectfully for the Canadiens ' s AHL affiliate , the Hamilton Bulldogs during the previous season . The addition of Ladouceur also provides the team the first former defenseman as an assistant coach since the 2005 - 06 NHL season . Season Timeline . October The Canadiens started with the team ' s worst start since 1941 . Prior to their first game of the season , defenceman Andrei Markov was placed on the injured reserved list . The Canadiens started the season with a 2 – 0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre . During the game , newly acquired defenceman Chris Campoli suffered a hamstring injury and was sidelined indefinitely . The team ' s first win of the season was a 5 – 1 decision against the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre , which was the Jets ' first game in the newly relocated franchise ' s history . The Canadiens played their home opener on October 13 in a 4 – 1 loss to the Calgary Flames . This coincided with Lars Eller ' s first game of the season following off - season shoulder surgery . That same day , the team announced that forward Ryan White had surgery for a sports hernia and would be sidelined indefinitely . On October 23 , the team traded longtime prospect Brock Trotter and their 7th round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft to the Phoenix Coyotes for forward Petteri Nokelainen and defenseman Garrett Stafford . The team would go on to a six - game losing streak and five - game losing streak at home until defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 5 – 1 on October 26 , 2011 at the Bell Centre . Prior to the game , the Canadiens relieved assistant coach Perry Pearn of his duties , offering him ( but he declined ) another position in the organization . Pearn was replaced behind the bench by Randy Ladouceur , who until then was situated in the press box during game time . Molson Cup player of the month : Carey Price . November On November 10 the Canadiens beat the Phoenix Coyotes 3 – 2 in overtime to continue their winning streak in Phoenix . The Coyotes have not beaten the Canadiens at home ice since December 9 , 1998 , when they won 4 – 2 . Carey Price recorded back - to - back shutouts for the first time of his career in duplicate 4 – 0 wins against the Carolina Hurricanes on November 16 and the New York Rangers on November 19 . Max Pacioretty was suspended by NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan for three games following a questionable hit on Pittsburgh Penguins defencemen Kristopher Letang on November 26 at the Bell Centre . Letang suffered a broken nose but still managed to finish the game . No penalty had been called on the hit . The month also saw the NHL debuts of defenceman Frédéric Saint - Denis on November 16 in a 4 – 0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes and Louis Leblanc on November 30 in a 4 – 1 loss to the Ahaheim Ducks . Molson Cup player of the month : Carey Price . December In an effort to bolster their power play , which was ranked 29th out of 30 teams in the league , Pierre Gauthier acquired defenseman Tomas Kaberle from the Carolina Hurricanes on December 9 in exchange for defenseman Jaroslav Spacek . In his first game with the Canadiens , Kaberle registered two assists , including one on the power play , in a 2 – 1 road win against the New Jersey Devils . Chris Campoli returned to action on December 13 against the New York Islanders . He was sidelined with a lower body injury suffered during the team ' s season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs back on October 6 . Feeling that the team was under performing despite a 13 – 12 – 7 record , Pierre Gauthier fires head coach Jacques Martin on December 17 . Assistant Coach Randy Cunneyworth was named interim head coach . Cunneyworth became the first unilingual English speaking active head coach of the Canadiens since Bob Berry , who was head coach from 1981 – 84 . Assistant General Manager Larry Carriere was named assistant coach in a questionable move , as Carriere has never coached hockey in any level whatsoever . Cunneyworth ' s first game as the interim head coach resulted in a 5 – 3 lost against the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre on December 17 . Under interim coach Cunneyworth , the team embarked on a five game losing skid until finally winning their first game under their new coach in a convincing 6 – 2 win against the Senators in Ottawa on December 27 . Despite this win , the team dropped their next two games and closed off the month losing 7 of their last 8 games . Molson Cup player of the month : Carey Price . January Lars Eller started off the new year in style on January 4 by scoring four goals ( three in the 3rd period alone ) to help his team pounce the Winnipeg Jets 7 – 3 at the Bell Centre . Eller becomes the first Canadiens player to score 4 goals in one game since Jan Bulis did so against the Philadelphia Flyers back on January 26 , 2006 . On January 12 goaltender Carey Price was invited to the 2012 NHL All Star game which was played on January 29 in Ottawa . He was accompagnied by teammate Raphael Diaz , who participated in the rookie skills competition held on January 28 . One day after Michael Cammalleri made disparaging remarks about the current status of the Montreal Canadiens , the Habs decided to part ways with the veteran forward . On Thursday January 12 , Cammalleri was pulled out of a game against the Boston Bruins to find out that he ' d been traded to the Calgary Flames along with goaltender Karri Ramo and a fifth round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft . Montreal received forwards Rene Bourque , Patrick Holland , and a second round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft . Bourque is a salary cap hit of $ 3 . 3 million until the 2015 – 16 season . This is Cammalleri ' s second tenure with the Flames , where he scored 39 goals during the 2008 – 09 season . Molson Cup player of the month : Max Pacioretty . February Max Pacioretty scored the first hat trick of his career in a 4 – 2 win against the New York Islanders on February 9 . After being sidelined since the beginning of the season with a sports hernia , Ryan White finally made his season debut on February 15 against the Boston Bruins at the Bell Centre . With their playoff hopes dying with each passing day , Pierre Gauthier became a seller . On February 17 , Montreal sent defenseman Hal Gill and a conditional 2013 fifth - round draft pick to the Nashville Predators for a 2012 second - round pick , prospect Robert Slaney as well as Blake Geoffrion , who is the grandson of former Habs great Bernard Geoffrion and great - grandson of Canadiens legend Howie Morenz . During the trade deadline on February 27 , the Canadiens reacquired their 5th round conditional pick in the Hall Gill trade , as well as the Predators ' s 2nd round pick in 2013 for forward Andrei Kostitsyn . They also claimed via re - entry waivers enforcer Brad Staubitz from the Minnesota Wild . Despite rumors to the contrary , Travis Moen and Chris Campoli , who will both become unresticted free agents at the end of season , were not moved . The Canadiens finished the month losing 7 of their last 8 including , including a 5 game losing streak . Molson Cup player of the month : Carey Price . March and April Max Pacioretty became the first American born player in Canadiens history to reach the 30 goal mark during a 5 – 4 victory on March 8 against the Edmonton Oilers . March 10 saw the return of defenceman Andrei Markov in the line up . He registered an assist in the Canadiens 4 – 1 win against the Vancouver Canucks . Markov , who had been sidelined with a torn ACL , played his first game since November 13 , 2010 , missing almost 16 months of action . Erik Cole scored a natural hat trick just 5 : 41 after the opening faceoff on March 24 when the Habs defeated the Ottawa Senators 5 - 1 . Cole in turn becomes the second American born player in Canadiens history to reach the 30 goal plateau . This is also a team record for the fastest natural hat trick to start a game by any Canadiens player . Cole finished the season with a record high 35 goals for an American born player . The Canadiens were officially eliminated from playoff contention , on their 76th game of the season , following a 4 - 1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on March 24 . On March 29 , team owner Geoff Molson officially relieved GM Pierre Gauthier of his duties as general manager . Bob Gainey was also let go of his duties as special advisor to the GM . Mr . Molson further announced that former Habs GM Serge Savard would be acting as special advisor to find the next general manager . April 1 saw the NHL debut of Gabriel Dumont in a winning cause against the Tampa Bay Lightning . Molson Cup player of the month : Carey Price . Playoffs . The Canadiens missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2007 . 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 ; GAA = Goals Against Average ; SA = Shots Against ; SV = Saves ; Sv % = Save Percentage ; SO = Shutouts " 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 . Transactions . The Canadiens have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011 – 12 season : Claimed via waivers . + On October 9 , NHL commissioner Gary Bettman allowed the Montreal Canadiens to cancel the waiver claim on Betts and return him to the Philadelphia Flyers , as he had failed a physical due to an undisclosed injury which he had prior to being claimed . Draft picks . Montreal ' s picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St . Paul , Minnesota .