2015–16 Chicago Blackhawks season

2015–16 Chicago Blackhawks
Division3rd Central
Conference3rd Western
2015–16 record47–26–9
Home record26–11–4
Road record21–15–5
Goals for235
Goals against209
Team information
General managerStan Bowman
CoachJoel Quenneville
CaptainJonathan Toews
Alternate captainsDuncan Keith
Brent Seabrook
ArenaUnited Center
Average attendance21,859 (110.9%)
Total: 896,240[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
Indy Fuel (ECHL)
Team leaders
GoalsPatrick Kane (46)
AssistsPatrick Kane (60)
PointsPatrick Kane (106)
Penalty minutesAndrew Shaw (69)
Plus/minusPatrick Kane (+17)
WinsCorey Crawford (35)
Goals against averageMichael Leighton (1.54)

The 2015–16 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 90th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on September 25, 1926.[2] They entered the season as defending Stanley Cup champions having won the Stanley Cup the previous season, their third championship in six years. The Blackhawks finished the season with 103 points to finish in third place in the Central Division, only six points behind the Western Conference-leading Dallas Stars. They lost in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.

Patrick Kane led the Blackhawks with 46 goals and 106 points, both career highs. He was named the winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy as most valuable player in the NHL, becoming the first US-born player to receive the award.[3][4] The Blackhawks had four players who scored 20 or more goals: Kane, Artemi Panarin (30), Jonathan Toews, and (28) Artem Anisimov (22). Goalie Corey Crawford led the Blackhawks with 35 wins. Artemi Panarin received the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.[5]

Off-season

The Blackhawks faced an off-season of change after being crowned Stanley Cup Champions for a third time in six years. Coming into the offseason, it was well known Chicago was facing impending cap space struggles and moves would need to be made.[6]

On June 27, Chicago traded backup goaltender Antti Raanta to the New York Rangers in exchange for AHL forward Ryan Haggerty.[7] Two days after the trade, defenseman David Rundblad received a two-year, $2 million contract extension on June 29.[8]

The Blackhawks attempted to negotiate a contract for restricted free agent winger Brandon Saad who was a restricted free agent, but were unsuccessful. Unlikely to match any sizeable offer sheets due to cap constraints, Chicago traded Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Chicago sent Saad and prospects Michael Paliotta and Alex Broadhurst to Columbus in exchange for center Artem Anisimov, wingers Jeremy Morin and Corey Tropp, as well as prospect Marko Dano and their 2016 4th round pick.[9] Anisimov subsequently signed a five-year, $22.75 million contract with the Blackhawks.[10] The move did not sit well with the Chicago fanbase, as Saad was viewed as another top young player on the Stanley Cup-winning squad, even though Anisimov would score 42 points for the Blackhawks in 2015–16.[11]

Chicago turned to Russia a few times throughout the off-season. Kontinental Hockey League winger Viktor Tihkonov signed a one-year, $1.04 million contract with Chicago on July 1.[12] Tihkonov was returning to the NHL for the first time since his 2009 season with the Phoenix Coyotes. Also, Chicago and Edmonton swapped minor league players, sending goaltender Anders Nilsson to the Oilers in exchange for forward Liam Coughlin.[13]

Following season-long trade speculation, the Blackhawks pulled the trigger on another trade by trading another piece of its core Stanley Cup winning teams. Another cap clearing move, Chicago traded alternate captain Patrick Sharp and defenseman Stephen Johns to the Dallas Stars in exchange for forward Ryan Garbutt and defenseman Trevor Daley.[14] A three-time Stanley Cup winner, Sharp carried a cap hit of $5.9 million in each of the next two seasons, limiting the Blackhawks in what they could do with free agency. A trade was expected following a down year in terms of production and the large aforementioned cap hit.

Forward Andrew Desjardins returned on a two-year contract worth $1.6 million, taking less to stay in Chicago.[15] The team also extended the contracts of defensemen Viktor Svedberg, forward Marcus Kruger, and defenseman Michal Rozsival. They lost forwards Brad Richards and Antoine Vermette, as well as defenseman Johnny Oduya during free agency.[16]

Season notes

The Blackhawks began their title defense with and average month of October. The Blackhawks went 6–5–0. However, fortunes increased in November (7–3–1) and December (9–5–1). The Blackhawks finished December on two game winning streak, looking to keep the wins coming in 2016. The Blackhawks did just that, winning the first 10 games of January to bring the win streak to 12 games.[17] The streak set a franchise record for consecutive wins.[17] The streak tied the Florida Panthers win streak earlier in the season for the longest winning streak in the NHL that season.[18]

Standings

Central Division
Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 z – Dallas Stars 82 50 23 9 48 267 230 +37 109
2 x – St. Louis Blues 82 49 24 9 44 224 201 +23 107
3 x – Chicago Blackhawks 82 47 26 9 46 235 209 +26 103
4 x – Nashville Predators 82 41 27 14 37 228 215 +13 96
5 x – Minnesota Wild 82 38 33 11 35 216 206 +10 87
6 Colorado Avalanche 82 39 39 4 35 216 240 −24 82
7 Winnipeg Jets 82 35 39 8 32 215 239 −24 78
Source: National Hockey League[19]
x – Clinched playoff spot; z – Clinched conference

Schedule and results

Pre-season

2015 Pre-season game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 3–0–0 ; Road: 1–2–0)[20]
# Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Recap
1 Sept 22 Detroit Red Wings 5–4 OT Visentin United Center 20,736 1–0–0 W1
2 Sept 23 @ Detroit Red Wings 1–4 Leighton Joe Louis Arena 16,886 1–1–0 L1
3 Sept 25 @ Montreal Canadiens 5–1 Darling Bell Centre 21,287 2–1–0 W1
4 Sept 26 St. Louis Blues 3–1 Crawford United Center 20,813 3–1–0 W2
5 October 1 @ St. Louis Blues 2–5 Darling Scottrade Center 14,303 3–2–0 L1
6 October 3 Dallas Stars 4–0 Crawford United Center 21,221 4–2–0 W1

Regular season

2015–16 Schedule[21]
October: 6–5–0 (Home: 5–1–0 ; Road: 1–4–0), 12 Points
# Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap
1 October 7 NY Rangers 2–3 Crawford United Center 22,104 0–1–0 0 L1
2 October 9 @ NY Islanders 3–2 OT Crawford Barclays Center 15,795 1–1–0 2 W1
3 October 10 NY Islanders 4–1 Darling United Center 21,392 2–1–0 4 W2
4 October 14 @ Philadelphia 0–3 Crawford Wells Fargo Center 19,779 2–2–0 4 L1
5 October 15 @ Washington 1–4 Darling Verizon Center 18,506 2–3–0 4 L2
6 October 17 Columbus 4–1 Crawford United Center 21,563 3–3–0 6 W1
7 October 22 Florida 3–2 Crawford United Center 21,591 4–3–0 8 W2
8 October 24 Tampa Bay 1–0 OT Crawford United Center 21,822 5–3–0 10 W3
9 October 26 Anaheim 1–0 OT Crawford United Center 21,529 6–3–0 12 W4
10 October 29 @ Winnipeg 1–3 Crawford MTS Centre 15,294 6–4–0 12 L1
11 October 30 @ Minnesota 4–5 Darling Xcel Energy Center 19,140 6–5–0 12 L2
November: 7–3–3 (Home: 3–1–1 ; Road: 4–2–2), 17 Points
# Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap
12 November 2 Los Angeles 4–2 Crawford United Center 21,534 7–5–0 14 W1
13 November 4 St. Louis 5–6 OT Crawford United Center 21,676 7–5–1 15 O1
14 November 6 @ New Jersey 2–4 Crawford Prudential Center 16,514 7–6–1 15 L1
15 November 8 Edmonton 4–2 Crawford United Center 21,611 8–6–1 17 W1
16 November 12 New Jersey 2–3 Crawford United Center 21,568 8–7–1 17 L1
17 November 14 @ St. Louis 4–2 Crawford Scottrade Center 19,808 9–7–1 19 W1
18 November 15 Calgary 4–1 Darling United Center 21,629 10–7–1 21 W2
19 November 18 @ Edmonton 4–3 OT Crawford Rexall Place 16,839 11–7–1 23 W3
20 November 20 @ Calgary 1–2 OT Darling Scotiabank Saddledome 19,289 11–7–2 24 O1
21 November 21 @ Vancouver 3–6 Crawford Rogers Arena 18,570 11–8–2 24 L1
22 November 25 @ San Jose 5–2 Crawford SAP Center at San Jose 17,562 12–8–2 26 W1
23 November 27 @ Anaheim 3–2 OT Crawford Honda Center 17,174 13–8–2 28 W2
24 November 28 @ Los Angeles 2–3 OT Darling Staples Center 18,230 13–8–3 29 O1
December: 9–5–1 (Home: 6–3–0 ; Road: 3–2–1), 19 Points
# Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap
25 December 1 Minnesota 1–2 Crawford United Center 21,580 13–9–3 29 L1
26 December 3 @ Ottawa 3–4 OT Crawford Canadian Tire Centre 17,171 13–9–4 30 O1
27 December 6 Winnipeg 3–1 Crawford United Center 21,749 14–9–4 32 W1
28 December 8 Nashville 4–1 Crawford United Center 21,432 15–9–4 34 W2
29 December 10 @ Nashville 1–5 Darling Bridgestone Arena 17,113 15–10–4 34 L1
30 December 11 Winnipeg 2–0 Crawford United Center 22,021 16–10–4 36 W1
31 December 13 Vancouver 4–0 Crawford United Center 21,711 17–10–4 38 W2
32 December 15 Colorado 0–3 Crawford United Center 21,473 17–11–4 38 L1
33 December 17 Edmonton 4–0 Crawford United Center 21,451 18–11–4 40 W1
34 December 19 @ Buffalo 3–2 SO Crawford First Niagara Center 18,870 19–11–4 42 W2
35 December 20 San Jose 4–3 OT Crawford United Center 22,096 20–11–4 44 W3
36 December 22 @ Dallas 0–4 Crawford American Airlines Center 18,532 20–12–4 44 L1
37 December 27 Carolina 1–2 Crawford United Center 22,157 20–13–4 44 L2
38 December 29 @ Arizona 7–5 Crawford Gila River Arena 17,197 21–13–4 46 W1
39 December 31 @ Colorado 4–3 OT Darling Pepsi Center 18,048 22–13–4 48 W2
January: 11–3–0 (Home: 7–0–0 ; Road: 4–3–0), 22 Points
# Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap
40 January 3 Ottawa 3–0 Crawford United Center 22,016 23–13–4 50 W3
41 January 5 @ Pittsburgh 3–2 OT Crawford Consol Energy Center 18,658 24–13–4 52 W4
42 January 6 Pittsburgh 3–1 Darling United Center 21,908 25–13–4 54 W5
43 January 8 Buffalo 3–1 Crawford United Center 22,142 26–13–4 56 W6
44 January 10 Colorado 6–3 Crawford United Center 22,007 27–13–4 58 W7
45 January 12 Nashville 3–2 Crawford United Center 21,618 28–13–4 60 W8
46 January 14 @ Montreal 2–1 Crawford Bell Centre 21,288 29–13–4 62 W9
47 January 15 @ Toronto 4–1 Darling Air Canada Centre 20,049 30–13–4 64 W10
48 January 17 Montreal 5–2 Crawford United Center 22,030 31–13–4 66 W11
49 January 19 @ Nashville 4–1 Crawford Bridgestone Arena 17,122 32–13–4 68 W12
50 January 21 @ Tampa Bay 1–2 Crawford Amalie Arena 19,092 32–14–4 68 L1
51 January 22 @ Florida 0–4 Darling BB&T Center 19,343 32–15–4 68 L2
52 January 24 St. Louis 2–0 Crawford United Center 22,138 33–15–4 70 W1
53 January 26 @ Carolina 0–5 Crawford PNC Arena 14,588 33–16–4 70 L1
February: 6–4–1 (Home: 2–3–1 ; Road: 4–1–0), 13 Points
# Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap
54 February 2 @ Colorado 2–1 Crawford Pepsi Center 18,007 34–16–4 72 W1
55 February 4 @ Arizona 5–4 OT Crawford Gila River Arena 17,125 35–16–4 74 W2
56 February 6 @ Dallas 5–1 Crawford American Airlines Center 18,532 36–16–4 76 W3
57 February 9 San Jose 0–2 Crawford United Center 21,753 36–17–4 76 L1
58 February 11 Dallas 2–4 Crawford United Center 22,051 36–18–4 76 L2
59 February 13 Anaheim 2–3 OT Crawford United Center 22,107 36–18–5 77 O1
60 February 15 Toronto 7–2 Darling United Center 21,767 37–18–5 79 W1
61 February 17 @ NY Rangers 5–3 Crawford Madison Square Garden 18,006 38–18–5 81 W2
62 February 21 @ Minnesota 1–6 Crawford TCF Bank Stadium 50,426 38–19–5 81 L1
63 February 25 Nashville 1–3 Crawford United Center 22,058 38–20–5 81 L2
64 February 28 Washington 3–2 Crawford United Center 22,218 39–20–5 83 W1
March: 5–6–2 (Home: 1–3–1 ; Road: 4–3–1), 12 Points
# Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap
65 March 2 @ Detroit 5–2 Crawford Joe Louis Arena 20,027 40–20–5 85 W2
66 March 3 @ Boston 2–4 Darling TD Garden 17,565 40–21–5 85 L1
67 March 6 Detroit 4–1 Crawford United Center 22,247 41–21–5 87 W1
68 March 9 @ St. Louis 2–3 SO Crawford Scottrade Center 19,756 41–21–6 88 O1
69 March 11 @ Dallas 2–5 Crawford American Airlines Center 18,532 41–22–6 88 L1
70 March 14 Los Angeles 0–5 Crawford United Center 22,170 41–23–6 88 L2
71 March 16 Philadelphia 2–3 Darling United Center 22,113 41–24–6 88 L3
72 March 18 @ Winnipeg 4–0 Darling MTS Centre 15,294 42–24–6 90 W1
73 March 20 Minnesota 2–3 SO Darling United Center 22,059 42–24–7 91 O1
74 March 22 Dallas 2–6 Darling United Center 22,034 42–25–7 91 L1
75 March 26 @ Calgary 4–1 Darling Scotiabank Saddledome 19,289 43–25–7 93 W1
76 March 27 @ Vancouver 3–2 Darling Rogers Arena 18,570 44–25–7 95 W2
77 March 29 @ Minnesota 1–4 Darling Xcel Energy Center 19,190 44–26–7 95 L1
April: 3–0–2 (Home: 2–0–1 ; Road: 1–0–1), 8 Points
# Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap
78 April 1 @ Winnipeg 5–4 OT Darling MTS Centre 15,294 45–26–7 97 W1
79 April 3 Boston 6–4 Darling United Center 22,156 46–26–7 99 W2
80 April 5 Arizona 6–2 Darling United Center 21,884 47–26–7 101 W3
81 April 7 St. Louis 1–2 OT Darling United Center 22,075 47–26–8 102 O1
82 April 9 @ Columbus 4–5 OT Crawford Nationwide Arena 19,177 47–26–9 103 O2

Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Detailed records
Western Conference
Opponent Home Away Total Pts. Goals scored Goals allowed
Central Division
Chicago Blackhawks – – – – – –
Colorado Avalanche 1–1–0 2–0–0 3–1–0 6 12 10
Dallas Stars 0–2–0 1–2–0 1–4–0 2 11 20
Minnesota Wild 0–1–1 0–3–0 0–4–1 1 9 20
Nashville Predators 2–1–0 1–1–0 3–2–0 6 13 11
St. Louis Blues 1–0–1 1–0–1 2–0–2 6 9 7
Winnipeg Jets 2–0–0 2–1–0 4–1–0 8 15 9
6–4–2 7–6–1 13–10–3 29 66 72
Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks 1–0–1 1–0–0 2–0–1 5 6 5
Arizona Coyotes 1–0–0 2–0–0 3–0–0 6 18 11
Calgary Flames 2–0–0 0–0–1 2–0–1 5 9 4
Edmonton Oilers 2–0–0 1–0–0 3–0–0 6 12 5
Los Angeles Kings 1–1–0 0–0–1 1–1–1 3 6 10
San Jose Sharks 1–1–0 1–0–0 2–1–0 4 9 7
Vancouver Canucks 1–0–0 1–1–0 2–1–0 4 10 8
8–2–1 7–1–2 15–3–3 33 70 50


Eastern Conference
Opponent Home Away Total Pts. Goals scored Goals allowed
Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins 1–0–0 0–1–0 1–1–0 2 8 8
Buffalo Sabres 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 6 3
Detroit Red Wings 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 9 3
Florida Panthers 1–0–0 0–1–0 1–1–0 2 3 6
Montreal Canadiens 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 7 3
Ottawa Senators 1–0–0 1–0–1 1–0–1 3 6 4
Tampa Bay Lightning 1–0–0 0–1–0 1–1–0 2 2 2
Toronto Maple Leafs 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 11 3
8–0–0 4–3–1 12–3–1 25 52 32
Metropolitan Division
Carolina Hurricanes 0–1–0 0–1–0 0–2–0 0 1 7
Columbus Blue Jackets 1–0–0 0–0–1 1–0–1 3 8 6
New Jersey Devils 0–1–0 0–1–0 0–2–0 0 4 7
New York Islanders 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 7 3
New York Rangers 0–1–0 1–0–0 1–1–0 2 7 6
Philadelphia Flyers 0–1–0 0–1–0 0–2–0 0 2 6
Pittsburgh Penguins 1–0–0 1–0–0 2–0–0 4 6 3
Washington Capitals 1–0–0 0–1–0 1–1–0 2 4 6
4–4–0 3–4–1 7–8–1 15 37 40

Playoffs

2016 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference First Round vs. (C2) St. Louis Blues: St. Louis wins 4–3
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap
1 April 13 Chicago 0–1 St. Louis OT Crawford 19,241 0–1 Recap
2 April 15 Chicago 3–2 St. Louis Crawford 19,846 1–1 Recap
3 April 17 St. Louis 3–2 Chicago Crawford 22,207 1–2 Recap
4 April 19 St. Louis 4–3 Chicago Crawford 22,212 1–3 Recap
5 April 21 Chicago 4–3 St. Louis 2OT Crawford 19,956 2–3 Recap
6 April 23 St. Louis 3–6 Chicago Crawford 22,260 3–3 Recap
7 April 25 Chicago 2–3 St. Louis Crawford 19,935 3–4 Recap

Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Final stats

Skaters

Regular Season[22]
Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM
Patrick Kane 82 46 60 106 17 30
Artemi Panarin 80 30 47 77 8 32
Jonathan Toews 80 28 30 58 16 62
Brent Seabrook 81 14 35 49 6 32
Duncan Keith 67 9 34 43 13 26
Artem Anisimov 77 20 22 42 8 12
Teuvo Teravainen 78 13 22 35 −2 20
Andrew Shaw 78 14 20 34 11 69
Marian Hossa 64 13 20 33 10 24
Niklas Hjalmarsson 81 2 22 24 13 32
Trevor van Riemsdyk 82 3 11 14 −5 31
Erik Gustafsson 41 0 14 14 11 4
Andrew Desjardins 77 8 5 13 −8 30
Michal Rozsival 51 1 12 13 3 33
Andrew Ladd† 19 8 4 12 −3 6
Dennis Rasmussen 44 4 5 9 9 4
Richard Panik 30 6 2 8 4 6
Ryan Garbutt‡ 43 2 4 6 −7 27
Trevor Daley‡ 29 0 6 6 1 8
Tomas Fleischmann† 19 4 1 5 −7 4
Brandon Mashinter 41 4 1 5 −7 23
Phillip Danault‡ 30 1 4 5 −3 6
Viktor Svedberg 27 2 2 4 −5 4
Marcus Kruger 41 0 4 4 −5 24
Tanner Kero 17 1 2 3 −2 2
Bryan Bickell 25 0 2 2 −5 2
Marko Dano‡ 13 1 1 2 0 2
Christian Ehrhoff† 8 0 2 2 −1 2
David Rundblad 9 0 2 2 −2 6
Dale Weise† 15 0 1 1 4 2
Ryan Hartman 3 0 1 1 −1 0
Vinnie Hinostroza 7 0 0 0 −1 6
Mark McNeill 1 0 0 0 0 0
Kyle Baun 2 0 0 0 −2 0
Rob Scuderi†‡ 17 0 0 0 −6 0
Viktor Tikhonov‡ 11 0 0 0 −4 6
Jiri Sekac‡ 6 0 1 1 −1 2
Totals 82 223 381 604 61 554
Playoffs[23]
Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM
Artemi Panarin 7 2 5 7 2 14
Patrick Kane 7 1 6 7 −1 14
Andrew Shaw 6 4 2 6 0 18
Jonathan Toews 7 0 6 6 2 10
Marian Hossa 7 3 2 5 0 0
Duncan Keith 6 3 2 5 3 2
Artem Anisimov 7 3 0 3 1 2
Richard Panik 6 0 3 3 0 6
Andrew Ladd 7 1 1 2 −1 16
Brent Seabrook 7 1 1 2 −2 12
Trevor van Riemsdyk 7 1 0 1 −3 2
Dale Weise 4 1 0 1 0 0
Erik Gustafsson 5 0 1 1 −1 0
Niklas Hjalmarsson 7 0 1 1 5 0
Marcus Kruger 7 0 1 1 −2 0
Teuvo Teravainen 7 0 1 1 1 0
Viktor Svedberg 3 0 0 0 0 6
Tomas Fleischmann 4 0 0 0 −1 0
Michal Rozsival 4 0 0 0 −3 2
Andrew Desjardins 6 0 0 0 −2 0
David Rundblad 3 0 0 0 0 4
Brandon Mashinter 2 0 0 0 0 2

Goaltenders

Regular Season[24]
Player GP GS TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Corey Crawford 58 58 3,323 35 18 5 131 2.37 1718 .924 7 0 1 2
Scott Darling 29 24 1,560 12 8 4 67 2.58 784 .915 1 0 0 0
Michael Leighton 1 0 39 0 0 0 1 1.54 17 .941 0 0 0 0
Totals 82 4,696 47 26 9 207 2.38 2428 .923 8 0 1 2
Playoffs[25]
Player GP GS TOI W L GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Corey Crawford 7 7 448 3 4 19 2.54 205 .907 0 0 0 2

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Blackhawks. Stats reflect time with Blackhawks only.
‡Left team mid-season. Stats reflect time with Blackhawks only.

Awards and honours

Awards

Regular season
Player Award Awarded
P. Kane NHL First Star of the Week[26] November 9, 2015
P. Kane NHL First Star of the Month[27] December 1, 2015
C. Crawford NHL First Star of the Week[28] December 14, 2015
P. Kane NHL All-Star game captain[29] January 2, 2016
P. Kane NHL Third Star of the Month[30] January 4, 2016
J. Toews NHL All-Star game selection[31] January 6, 2016
P. Kane NHL First Star of the Week[32] January 18, 2016
C. Crawford NHL Second Star of the Month[33] February 1, 2016
A. Panarin NHL First Star of the Week[34] April 4, 2016
A. Panarin Calder Memorial Trophy[35] June 22, 2016
P. Kane Hart Memorial Trophy[36] June 22, 2016

Milestones

Regular season
Player Milestone Reached
Artemi Panarin 1st career NHL game
1st career NHL goal
1st career NHL point		 October 7, 2015
Viktor Svedberg 1st career NHL game October 9, 2015
Ryan Garbutt 200th career NHL game October 9, 2015
Trevor van Riemsdyk 1st career NHL goal October 10, 2015
Artemi Panarin 1st career NHL assist October 10, 2015
Viktor Svedberg 1st career NHL goal
1st career NHL point		 October 15, 2015
Vinnie Hinostroza 1st career NHL game October 17, 2015
Tanner Kero 1st career NHL game October 29, 2015
Erik Gustafsson 1st career NHL game
1st career NHL assist
1st career NHL point		 October 30, 2015
Viktor Svedberg 1st career NHL assist November 2, 2015
Ryan Hartman 1st career NHL assist
1st career NHL point		 November 4, 2015
Marcus Kruger 300th career NHL game November 4, 2015
Tanner Kero 1st career NHL goal
1st career NHL point		 November 6, 2015
Andrew Desjardins 300th career NHL game November 8, 2015
Artem Anisimov 200th career NHL point November 8, 2015
Tanner Kero 1st career NHL assist November 18, 2015
Patrick Kane 19 game point streak – American Record (later 26 games)
600th career NHL game		 November 28, 2015
Michal Rozsival 900th career NHL game December 3, 2015
Patrick Kane 22 game point streak – Blackhawks Record (later 26 games) December 6, 2015
Dennis Rasmussen 1st career NHL game
1st career NHL goal
1st career NHL point		 December 8, 2015
Patrick Kane 600th career NHL point December 8, 2015
Marian Hossa 1,200th career NHL game December 13, 2015
Niklas Hjalmarsson 500th career NHL game December 13, 2015
Dennis Rasmussen 1st career NHL assist December 13, 2015
Brandon Mashinter 1st career NHL goal
1st career NHL point		 December 13, 2015
Patrick Kane 1st American born player to score 20 goals in each of their first 9 seasons December 13, 2015
Jonathan Toews 600th career NHL game December 20, 2015
Phillip Danault 1st career NHL assist
1st career NHL point		 December 20, 2015
Brent Seabrook 800th career NHL game December 27, 2015
Artem Anisimov 100th career NHL goal December 31, 2015
Jonathan Toews 4th OT goal this season – Blackhawks Record (later 5 goals) December 31, 2015
Corey Crawford 300th career NHL game January 3, 2016
Phillip Danault 1st career NHL goal January 8, 2016
Duncan Keith 800th career NHL game January 10, 2016
Joel Quenneville 783rd career NHL coaching win – 2nd all time January 14, 2016
Patrick Kane 1st career NHL hat-trick January 15, 2016
Andrew Shaw 300th career NHL game February 6, 2016
Jonathan Toews 300th career NHL assist February 6, 2016
Patrick Kane 400th career NHL assist February 15, 2016
Artemi Panarin 1st career NHL hat-trick February 17, 2016
Artemi Panarin 1st career NHL playoff goal April 15, 2016
Trevor van Riemsdyk 1st career NHL playoff goal April 23, 2016

Transactions

The Blackhawks were involved in the following transactions during the 2015–16 season.

Trades

Date Details Ref
June 27, 2015 (2015-06-27) To New York Rangers
Antti Raanta 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Ryan Haggerty 		[37]
June 30, 2015 (2015-06-30) To Columbus Blue Jackets
Brandon Saad
Alex Broadhurst
Michael Paliotta 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Artem Anisimov
Marko Dano
Jeremy Morin
Corey Tropp
4th-round pick in 2016 		[38]
July 6, 2015 (2015-07-06) To Edmonton Oilers
Anders Nilsson 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Liam Coughlin 		[39]
July 10, 2015 (2015-07-10) To Dallas Stars
Patrick Sharp
Stephen Johns 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Trevor Daley
Ryan Garbutt 		[40]
September 11, 2015 (2015-09-11) To Carolina Hurricanes
Kris Versteeg
Joakim Nordstrom
3rd-round pick in 2017 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Dennis Robertson
Jake Massie
5th-round pick in 2017 		[41]
December 14, 2015 (2015-12-14) To Pittsburgh Penguins
Trevor Daley 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Rob ScuderiNote 1 		[42]
January 3, 2016 (2016-01-03) To Toronto Maple Leafs
Jeremy Morin 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Richard Panik 		[43]
January 21, 2016 (2016-01-21) To Anaheim Ducks
Ryan Garbutt 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Jiri Sekac 		[44]
February 25, 2016 (2016-02-25) To Winnipeg Jets
Marko Dano
1st round pick in 2016
conditional 3rd round pick in 2018 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Andrew LaddNote 2
Jay Harrison
Matt Fraser 		[45]
February 26, 2016 (2016-02-26) To Los Angeles Kings
Rob ScuderiNote 3 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Christian EhrhoffNote 4 		[46]
February 26, 2016 (2016-02-26) To Montreal Canadiens
Phillip Danault
2nd round pick in 2018 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Dale Weise
Tomas Fleischmann 		[47]
February 29, 2016 (2016-02-29) To Carolina Hurricanes
Dennis Robertson 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Drew MacIntyre 		[48]
February 29, 2016 (2016-02-29) To Anaheim Ducks
Corey Tropp 		To Chicago Blackhawks
Tim Jackman
7th-round pick in 2017 		[49]
Notes
  • Note 1 Pittsburgh to retain 33% ($1.125 million) of salary as part of trade.
  • Note 2 Winnipeg to retain 36% ($1.584 million) of salary as part of trade.
  • Note 3 Chicago to retain 50% ($1.125 million) of salary as part of trade.
  • Note 4 Los Angeles to retain 15% ($225,000) of salary as part of trade.

Free agents acquired

Date Player Former team Contract terms
(in U.S. dollars)		 Ref
July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) Viktor Tikhonov SKA Saint Petersburg 1 year, $1.04 million [50]
July 2, 2015 (2015-07-02) Cameron Schilling Washington Capitals 2 years, $1.15 million [51]
July 2, 2015 (2015-07-02) Mike Liambas Milwaukee Admirals 1 year, $575,000 [51]
August 18, 2015 (2015-08-18) Nolan Valleau Bowling Green University 2 year, $1.335 million [52]
February 28, 2016 (2016-02-28) Mac Carruth Rockford IceHogs 1 year, $575,000 [53]
May 24, 2016 (2016-05-24) Lars Johansson Frölunda HC 1 year, $575,000 [54]
May 24, 2016 (2016-05-24) Michal Kempny Avangard Omsk 1 year, $700,000 [54]
May 24, 2016 (2016-05-24) Martin Lundberg Skellefteå AIK 1 year, $692,500 [54]

Free agents lost

Date Player New team Contract terms
(in U.S. dollars)		 Ref
July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) Brad Richards Detroit Red Wings 1 year, $3 million [55]
July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) Antoine Vermette Arizona Coyotes 2 years, $7.5 million [56]
July 4, 2015 (2015-07-04) Cody Bass Nashville Predators 1 year, $575,000 [57]
July 15, 2015 (2015-07-15) Johnny Oduya Dallas Stars 2 year, $7.5 million [58]

Claimed via waivers

Player Old team Date claimed off waivers Ref

Lost via waivers

Player New team Date Ref
Viktor Tikhonov Arizona Coyotes December 6, 2015 [59]
Jiri Sekac Arizona Coyotes February 27, 2016 [60]

Lost via retirement

Player Ref
Daniel Carcillo [61]
Kimmo Timonen [62]

Player signings

Date Player Contract terms
(in U.S. dollars)		 Ref
June 29, 2015 (2015-06-29) David Rundblad 2 years, $2 million [63]
June 30, 2015 (2015-06-30) Michael Leighton 1 year, $575,000 [64]
July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) Artem Anisimov 5 years, $22.75 million [65]
July 3, 2015 (2015-07-03) Andrew Desjardins 2 years, $1.6 million [66]
July 7, 2015 (2015-07-07) Trevor van Riemsdyk 2 years, $1.65 million [67]
July 9, 2015 (2015-07-09) Dennis Rasmussen 1 year, $575,000 [68]
August 5, 2015 (2015-08-05) Viktor Svedberg 1 year, $575,000 [69]
September 2, 2015 (2015-09-02) Joakim Nordstrom 1 year, $605,000 [70]
September 11, 2015 (2015-09-11) Marcus Kruger 1 year, $1.5 million [71]
September 19, 2015 (2015-09-19) Michal Rozsival 1 year, $600,000 [72]
September 26, 2015 (2015-09-26) Brent Seabrook 8 years, $55 million contract extension [73]
October 15, 2015 (2015-10-15) Kyle Cumiskey 1 year, $575,000 [74]
March 3, 2016 (2016-03-03) Kyle Baun 2 years, contract extension [75]
March 8, 2016 (2016-03-08) Marcus Kruger 3 years, $9.25 million contract extension [76]
March 14, 2016 (2016-03-14) Viktor Svedberg 2 years, contract extension [77]
April 4, 2016 (2016-04-04) Robin Norell 3 years, entry-level contract [78]
April 6, 2016 (2016-04-06) Tyler Motte 3 years, entry-level contract [79]
April 14, 2016 (2016-04-14) Carl Dahlstrom 3 years, entry-level contract [80]
April 29, 2016 (2016-04-29) Luke Johnson 3 years, entry-level contract [81]
May 11, 2016 (2016-05-11) Gustav Forsling 3 years, entry-level contract [82]
June 14, 2016 (2016-06-14) Mac Carruth 1 year [83]
June 15, 2016 (2016-06-15) Richard Panik 1 year [84]
June 19, 2016 (2016-06-19) Nick Schmaltz 3 years, entry-level contract [85]
June 22, 2016 (2016-06-22) Dennis Rasmussen 1 year [86]

Suspensions/fines

Player Explanation Length Salary Date issued
Jonathan Toews Missing the NHL All-Star game 1 game January 28, 2016
Duncan Keith Striking Minnesota Wild center Charlie Coyle
in the face with his stick (intent to injure)		 6 games April 1 – April 13
Andrew Shaw Uttering an anti-gay slur 1 game April 21, 2016

Draft picks

Below are the Chicago Blackhawks' selections at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, to be held on June 26–27, 2015 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
2 54[a] Graham Knott LW  Canada Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
3 91 Dennis Gilbert D  United States Chicago Steel (USHL)
4 121 Ryan Shea D  United States Boston College High School (USHS–MA)
5 151 Radovan Bondra RW Slovakia Slovakia HC Košice (Slovakia)
6 164[b] Roy Radke RW  United States Barrie Colts (OHL)
6 181 Joni Tuulola D Finland Finland HPK (Finland)
7 211 John Dahlstrom LW/C Sweden Sweden Frölunda HC Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)
Draft notes[87]

References

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