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 be paired and Subban and Plekanec would be their own pair, with a rotating routine with one pair playing their part at home and the other on the road.
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, achieving a record of 9–0–0 over that span. 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. No Canadian team in the NHL made the playoffs that year, marking the first time since 1970 that all Canadian teams in the NHL did not qualify for the postseason.
==Standings==
===Divisional standings===
===Conference standings===
==Schedule and results==
===Pre-season===
2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 2–3–2 (Home: 1–2–2 ; Road: 1–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 2–3–2 (Home: 1–2–2 ; Road: 1–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 2–3–2 (Home: 1–2–2 ; Road: 1–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 2–3–2 (Home: 1–2–2 ; Road: 1–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 2–3–2 (Home: 1–2–2 ; Road: 1–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 2–3–2 (Home: 1–2–2 ; Road: 1–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 2–3–2 (Home: 1–2–2 ; Road: 1–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 2–3–2 (Home: 1–2–2 ; Road: 1–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 2–3–2 (Home: 1–2–2 ; Road: 1–1–0)	2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 2–3–2 (Home: 1–2–2 ; Road: 1–1–0)
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Decision 	Attendance 	Record 	Recap
1 	September 22 	Toronto 	2–1 	Montreal 	OT 	Fucale 	21,287 	0–0–1 	Recap
2 	September 24 	Washington 	4–3 	Montreal 	SO 	Condon 	21,287 	0–0–2 	Recap
3 	September 25 	Chicago 	5–1 	Montreal 	 	Price 	21,287 	0–1–2 	Recap
4 	September 26 	Montreal 	1–0 	Toronto 	 	Condon 	17,992 	1–1–2 	Recap
5 	September 28 	Pittsburgh 	1–4 	Montreal 	 	Price 	18,259 	2–1–2 	Recap
6 	October 1 	Ottawa 	5–2 	Montreal 	 	Price 	21,287 	2–2–2 	Recap
7 	October 3 	Montreal 	4–5 	Ottawa 	 	Tokarski 	17,912 	2–3–2 	Recap
Notes:
Game was played at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec.	
Notes:
Game was played at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec.	
Notes:
Game was played at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec.	
Notes:
Game was played at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec.	
Notes:
Game was played at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec.	
Notes:
Game was played at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec.	
Notes:
Game was played at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec.	
Notes:
Game was played at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec.	
Notes:
Game was played at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec.	
Notes:
Game was played at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec.
===Regular season===
2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log 	2015–16 Game Log
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"
October: 10–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 6–2–0)	October: 10–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 6–2–0)	October: 10–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 6–2–0)	October: 10–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 6–2–0)	October: 10–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 6–2–0)	October: 10–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 6–2–0)	October: 10–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 6–2–0)	October: 10–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 6–2–0)	October: 10–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 6–2–0)	October: 10–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 6–2–0)	October: 10–2–0 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 6–2–0)
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Decision 	Attendance 	Record 	Pts 	Recap
1 	October 7 	Montreal 	3–1 	Toronto 	 	Price 	19,241 	1–0–0 	2 	Recap
2 	October 10 	Montreal 	4–2 	Boston 	 	Price 	17,565 	2–0–0 	4 	Recap
3 	October 11 	Montreal 	3–1 	Ottawa 	 	Condon 	19,177 	3–0–0 	6 	Recap
4 	October 13 	Montreal 	3–2 	Pittsburgh 	 	Price 	18,626 	4–0–0 	8 	Recap
5 	October 15 	NY Rangers 	0–3 	Montreal 	 	Price 	21,288 	5–0–0 	10 	Recap
6 	October 17 	Detroit 	1–4 	Montreal 	 	Price 	21,288 	6–0–0 	12 	Recap
7 	October 20 	St. Louis 	0–3 	Montreal 	 	Price 	21,288 	7–0–0 	14 	Recap
8 	October 23 	Montreal 	7–2 	Buffalo 	 	Condon 	18,214 	8–0–0 	16 	Recap
9 	October 24 	Toronto 	3–5 	Montreal 	 	Price 	21,288 	9–0–0 	18 	Recap
10 	October 27 	Montreal 	1–5 	Vancouver 	 	Price 	18,570 	9–1–0 	18 	Recap
11 	October 29 	Montreal 	3–4 	Edmonton 	 	Price 	16,839 	9–2–0 	18 	Recap
12 	October 30 	Montreal 	6–2 	Calgary 	 	Condon 	19,289 	10–2–0 	20 	Recap
==Player statistics==
Final stats
===Skaters===
 Regular Season
Player	 	 	 	 	 	
 	82	30	34	64	−10	34
 	82	30	26	56	−8 	20
 	82	14	40	54	4 	36
 	68	6 	45	51	4 	75
 	82	5 	39	44	−6 	38
 	53	19	21	40	13 	24
 	65	11	18	29	−6 	20
 	79	13	13	26	−13	28
‡ 	56	14	12	26	0 	22
‡ 	57	10	10	20	−1 	28
 	71	11	8 	19	2 	51
 	64	2 	17	19	−6 	55
 	62	11	7 	18	−9 	11
 	44	7 	10	17	1 	6
 	51	5 	11	16	−6 	16
 	72	0 	12	12	−7 	71
‡ 	46	6 	6 	12	−2 	22
 	30	2 	8 	10	0 	6
 	56	4 	6 	10	−3 	6
 	23	6 	3 	9 	0 	8
 	38	1 	6 	7 	−8 	49
 	10	0 	6 	6 	0 	0
 	13	1 	4 	5 	−1 	13
† 	21	3 	2 	5 	−2 	8
‡ 	15	1 	3 	4 	1 	12
 	45	1 	1 	2 	3 	12
† 	14	1 	1 	2 	−2 	27
 	12	1 	1 	2 	1 	2
 	3 	0 	2 	2 	2 	0
 	20	1 	1 	2 	−10	37
‡ 	5 	0 	2 	2 	1 	2
† 	12	0 	1 	1 	−4 	4
 	22	0 	1 	1 	−6 	6
 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
† 	9 	0 	0 	0 	3 	6
† 	1 	0 	0 	0 	−1 	2
 	3 	0 	0 	0 	0 	2
 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	3 	0 	0 	0 	1 	0
‡ 	3 	0 	0 	0 	−3 	5
===Goaltenders===
 Regular Season
Player	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	55	51	3,123 	21	25	6	141	2.71	1458	.903	1	0	0	0
 	15	14	822 	5 	8 	0	42 	3.07	447 	.906	0	0	0	0
 	12	12	698 	10	2 	0	24 	2.06	365 	.934	2	0	0	0
 	1 	1 	60 	1 	0 	0	2 	2.00	28 	.929	0	0	0	0
‡ 	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.
==Roster==
===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 	Ref
 	NHL First Star of the Week 	October 19, 2015 	
 	NHL Second Star of the Week 	October 26, 2015 	
 	NHL Second Star of the Month	November 2, 2015 	
 	NHL Third Star of the Week 	November 9, 2015 	
 	NHL Third Star of the Week 	November 30, 2015	
 	NHL All-Star game selection 	January 6, 2016 	
 	NHL First Star of the Week 	February 1, 2016 	
 	NHL Third Star of the Week 	February 29, 2016	
===Milestones===
 Regular Season
Player	Milestone 	Reached 	Ref
 	400th Career NHL Game 	October 7, 2015 	
 	500th Career NHL Point 	October 10, 2015 	
 	1st Career NHL Game1st Career NHL Win 	October 11, 2015 	
 	200th Career NHL Game 	October 20, 2015 	
 	500th Career NHL Point 	October 23, 2015 	
 	300th Career NHL Assist 	October 23, 2015 	
 	600th Career NHL Game 	October 23, 2015 	
 	100th Career NHL Game 	November 1, 2015 	
 	600th Career NHL Game 	November 16, 2015	
 	300th Career NHL Point 	November 23, 2015	
 	1st Career NHL Game 	November 27, 2015	
 	1st Career NHL Game1st Career NHL Goal1st Career NHL Point	December 5, 2015 	
 	1st Career NHL Game1st Career NHL Point 	December 10, 2015	
 	200th Career NHL Game 	December 15, 2015	
 	1st Career NHL Game 	December 19, 2015	
 	300th Career NHL Game 	January 17, 2016 	
 	500th Career NHL Game 	February 7, 2016 	
 	1st Career NHL Point 	February 27, 2016	
 	1st Career NHL Game 	March 2, 2016 	
 	1st Career NHL Game 	March 12, 2016 	
 	1st Career NHL Goal 	March 16, 2016 	
 	400th Career NHL Game 	March 18, 2016 	
 	1st Career NHL Game 	March 20, 2016 	
 	1st Career NHL Goal 	March 20, 2016 	
 	1st Career NHL Point 	March 22, 2016 	
 	1st Career NHL Point 	March 22, 2016 	
 	1st Career Shutout 	March 31, 2016 	
 	400th Career NHL Game 	March 31, 2016 	
 	300th Career NHL Game 	March 31, 2016 	
 	1st Career NHL Game 	April 2, 2016 	
 	1st Career NHL Game 	April 5, 2016 	
 	1st Career NHL Game1st Career NHL Win 	April 7, 2016 	
 	1st Career NHL Goal 	April 7, 2016 	
 	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 	Ref
 	To Vancouver CanucksBrandon Prust 	To Montreal CanadiensZack Kassian5th-round pick in 2016 	
 	To Arizona CoyotesChristian Thomas 	To Montreal CanadiensLucas Lessio 	
 	To Edmonton OilersZack Kassian 	To Montreal CanadiensBen Scrivens 	
 	To Anaheim DucksDustin Tokarski 	To Montreal CanadiensMax Friberg 	
 	To Arizona CoyotesJarred TinordiStefan Fournier 	To Montreal CanadiensVictor BartleyJohn Scott 	
 	To Chicago BlackhawksDale WeiseTomas Fleischmann	To Montreal CanadiensPhillip Danault2nd-round pick in 2018	
 	To New Jersey DevilsDevante Smith-Pelly 	To Montreal CanadiensStefan Matteau 	
===Free agents acquired===
Date	Player 	Former team 	Contract terms(in U.S. dollars)	Ref
 	Joel Hanley 	Portland Pirates 	1 year, two-way contract 	
 	Mark Barberio 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	1 year, two-way contract 	
 	Bud Holloway 	SC Bern 	1 year, two-way contract 	
 	Ryan Johnston 	Colgate University Raiders	2 years, two-way contract 	
 	Alexander Semin 	Carolina Hurricanes 	1 year, $1.1 million 	
 	Tomas Fleischmann	Anaheim Ducks 	1 year, $750,000 	
 	Tom Parisi 	Providence Friars 	2 years, two-way contract 	
 	Charlie Lindgren 	St. Cloud State Huskies 	2 years, two-way contract 	
===Free agents lost===
Date	Player 	New team 	Contract terms(in U.S. dollars)	Ref
 	Magnus Nygren 	Färjestad BK 	1 year 	
 	Joey MacDonald 	Schwenninger Wild Wings	1 year 	
 	P. A. Parenteau	Toronto Maple Leafs 	1 year, $1.5 million 	
 	Davis Drewiske 	Philadelphia Flyers 	1 year, two-way contract 	
 	Eric Tangradi 	Detroit Red Wings 	1 year, $575,000 	
 	Drayson Bowman 	Colorado Eagles 	1 year 	
 	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	 	
===Player signings===
Date	Player 	Contract terms(in U.S. dollars) 	Ref
 	Brian Flynn 	2 years, $1.9 million 	
 	Greg Pateryn 	2 years, $1.6 million contract extension	
 	Christian Thomas 	1 year, two-way contract extension 	
 	Noah Juulsen 	3 years, entry-level contract 	
 	Michael Bournival	1 year, two-way contract extension 	
 	Jarred Tinordi 	1 year, two-way contract extension 	
 	Daniel Audette 	3 years, entry-level contract 	
 	Alex Galchenyuk 	2 years, $5.6 million contract extension	
 	Michael McNiven 	3 years, entry-level contract 	
 	Tomas Plekanec 	2 years, $12 million contract extension 	
 	Paul Byron 	3 years, $3.5 million contract extension	
 	Artturi Lehkonen 	3 years, entry-level contract 	
 	Martin Reway 	3 years, entry-level contract 	
 	Sven Andrighetto 	1 year, contract extension 	
 	Mark Barberio 	2 years, $1.5 million contract extension	
 	Joel Hanley 	1 year, two-way contract 	
==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	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)
;Draft notes
* The Montreal Canadiens' second-round pick went to the Edmonton Oilers (later traded to the NY Rangers and Washington Capitals) as the result of a trade on March 2, 2015 that sent Jeff Petry to Montreal in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2015 and this pick.
* The Montreal Canadiens' fourth-round pick went to the Edmonton Oilers as the result of a trade on March 2, 2015 that sent Jeff Petry to Montreal in exchange for a second-round pick in 2015 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Edmonton will receive a fourth-round pick in 2015 if Montreal advances to the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs – was converted on April 26, 2015 when Montreal eliminated Ottawa in first-round of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs.
* The Colorado Avalanche's fifth-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on June 30, 2014 that sent Daniel Briere to Colorado in exchange for P. A. Parenteau and this pick.
* The Montreal Canadiens' fifth-round pick went to the Florida Panthers (later traded to the NY Islanders) as the result of a trade on March 4, 2014 that sent Mike Weaver to Montreal in exchange for this pick.
==References==
Category:Montreal Canadiens seasons
Montreal Canadiens season, 2015-16