The 2015–16

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

was the 46th season for the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

franchise that was established on May 22, 1970. The season began its regular games on October 7, 2015, against the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

with a 5−1 win. On March 25, 2016, the Canucks lost 4−0 to the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...

and were eliminated from playoff contention. The Canucks missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.

Off-season

Off-season changes began in late June at the

2015 NHL Entry Draft The 2015 NHL Entry Draft was the 53rd NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 26–27, 2015, at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. The first three selections were Connor McDavid going to the Edmonton Oilers, Jack Eichel going to the Buffa ...

. Due to the Canucks having three goaltenders requiring waivers, goaltender

Eddie Lack Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle *Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Linu ...

was traded to the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

(for a third-round pick at the draft and a seventh-round pick in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

) to make room on the roster for

Jacob Markstrom Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ja ...

. This trade was disliked as fans saw the two draft picks as very little compensation for Lack. The Canucks would draft seven players at the draft. A few days later, long-time Canucks

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

Kevin Bieksa Kevin Francesco Bieksa (born June 16, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He most recently played for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL) after starting his career with the Vancouver Canucks. After a ...

was traded to the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

in exchange for a second-round pick in 2016. On July 1,

Zack Kassian Zack Adam Kassian (born January 24, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). During his junior career, he won a Memorial Cup with the Windsor Spitfires in 2010. Selected 13t ...

and a fifth-round pick in 2016 were traded to the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

in exchange for

Brandon Prust Brandon Raymond James Prust (born March 16, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. Prust was drafted in the third round, 70th overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, and has played in the NHL for the ...

. Jim Benning continued by signing various free agents, including former

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

defenceman

Matt Bartkowski Matthew Richard Bartkowski (born June 4, 1988) is an Americans, American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL). Playing career Florida Panthers Bartkowski pla ...

and prospects Taylor Fedun and

Richard Bachman Richard Bachman is a pen name (as well as fictional character) of American horror fiction author Stephen King. King portrays Bachman in the third season of the FX television series '' Sons of Anarchy''. Origin At the beginning of King's care ...

, coming from the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

and

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

, respectively. The following day, Hockey Operations Staff Laurence Gilman, Lorne Henning and Eric Crawford were released by the Canucks. On July 28, the Canucks traded centre

Nick Bonino Nicholas Lawrence Bonino (born April 20, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey center and an alternate captain for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsbu ...

, defenceman

Adam Clendening Adam Clendening (born October 26, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL). Clendening was raised in Wheatfield, New York. He was selected 36th overa ...

, as well as the second-round pick acquired in the Bieksa trade, to the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

for centre

Brandon Sutter Brandon Sutter (born February 14, 1989) is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Junior ...

and a conditional third-round pick. One week later, the Canucks resigned Sutter to a five-year contract extension, lasting until the 2020–21 NHL season.

Training camp

The Canucks held their training camp at

CN Centre The CN Centre is a 5,971-seat multi-purpose arena, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. It was designed by PBK Architects, opened in 1995 and is owned by the City of Prince George. There are 14 luxury suites. In 2005, Canadian National ...

Prince George, British Columbia Prince George is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, with a population of 74,004 in the metropolitan area. It is often called the province's "northern capital" or sometimes the "spruce capital" because it is the hub city for ...

, from September 18–20. Training camp consisted of various activities, such as power-play drills, strength and conditioning exercises, and intra-squad scrimmages. Head coach

Willie Desjardins Wilbrod "Willie" Desjardins (born February 11, 1957) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and player. He is currently head coach and general manager of the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers. He has also been the head coach of the NHL's Vancouver ...

was unable to attend training camp. Desjardins was forced to have surgery on September 8 (a mere 10 days before training camp was due to begin), due to a flare-up of a chronic hip condition. While Desjardins wanted to be in attendance, the Canucks medical staff was unable to give him clearance to head to Prince George. In his place, assistant coach

Glen Gulutzan Glen Gulutzan (born August 12, 1971) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers. Playing career Gulutzan played junior hockey with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Brandon Wheat Kings and ...

(former

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and were founde ...

head coach) stepped up to run the training camp. Assistant coaches

Perry Pearn Perry Pearn (born June 6, 1951) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach. He is a former assistant coach in the National Hockey League, most recently with the Vancouver Canucks. In 2022, he became the head coach of the Japanese national ice ho ...

and

Doug Lidster John Douglas Andrew Lidster (born October 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was an assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks until the end of the 2016-2017 season. ...

were also in attendance. Many Canucks prospects and minor-league players were invited to training camp. Some, such as

Nicklas Jensen Nicklas Jensen (born 6 March 1993) is a Danish ice hockey winger. He is currently playing for SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the National League (NL). After beginning his career with Danish team Herning Blue Fox at the junior and men's level, Je ...

Jake Virtanen Jacob Virtanen (born August 17, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for EHC Visp of the Swiss League (SL). Virtanen was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks sixth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Virtanen played junior hockey wi ...

and

Alexandre Grenier Alexandre Grenier (born September 5, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is playing with Eisbären Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Grenier was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 3rd round (90th overall) of th ...

were fighting for roster spots on the NHL club. The preseason came to an interesting end when the Canucks placed centre Linden Vey and defensemen Alex Biega and

Frank Corrado Frank Corrado (born March 26, 1993) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Corrado was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round, 150th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year entry level contrac ...

on waivers in favour of

Ben Hutton and forwards

and

Jared McCann Jared McCann (born May 31, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). McCann was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round (24th overall) of the 2 ...

. Corrado was claimed by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

the following day. Biega and Vey cleared waivers and were sent to the

Utica Comets The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated wit ...

. Both were called up in December and would finish the season with the Canucks.

Standings

Schedule and results

The Canucks set a franchise record with a goal drought of 234 minutes and 52 seconds beginning after the Daniel Sedin goal at 12:00 of the first period on March 16 against Colorado and ending with the Bo Horvat goal at 6:52 of the first period on March 24 against Nashville.

Pre-season

Regular season

Detailed records

Player statistics

Skaters

Goaltenders

^†Traded to Canucks mid-season. Stats reflect time with Canucks only.
^‡Traded (or lost by waivers) to another team mid-season. Stats reflect time with Canucks only.

Suspensions and fines

Awards and honours

Awards

Milestones

Records

Transactions

The Canucks been involved in the following transactions:

Trades

Free agents acquired

Free agents lost

Claimed via waivers

Lost via waivers

Player signings

Draft picks

Below are the Vancouver Canucks' selections at the

, to be held on June 26–27, 2015, at the

BB&T Center 200 South College (formerly BB&T Center) is a high-rise in Charlotte, North Carolina. Completed in 1975, it consists of 22 floors, a 11-story parking garage, and on the second floor it is connected to neighboring buildings via skybridges, as ...

Sunrise, Florida Sunrise is a city in central-western Broward County, Florida, United States, and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 97,335. Sunrise was incorporated in 1961 and founded ...

. ;Draft notes * The

' second-round pick went to the

as the result of a trade on March 2, 2015, that sent Sven Baertschi to Vancouver in exchange for this pick. * The

' third-round pick went to the

as the result of a trade on June 27, 2015, that sent

to Carolina in exchange for a 2016 seventh-round pick and this pick. * The

' third-round pick went to the

as the result of a trade on June 27, 2014, that sent

Luca Sbisa The last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is the most recent population from which all organisms now living on Earth share common descent—the most recent common ancestor of all current life on Earth. This includes all cellular organisms; t ...

and a first and third-round pick in 2014 to Vancouver in exchange for

Ryan Kesler Ryan James Kesler (born August 31, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey center. Selected in the first round, 23rd overall, by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Kesler spent the first ten years of his National Hoc ...

and this pick. * The

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

' fifth-round pick went to the

as the result of a trade on March 5, 2014, that sent

Raphael Diaz Raphael Salvador Diaz (born January 9, 1986) is a Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays with HC Fribourg-Gottéron in the National League (NL). Diaz previously played with the Rangers during the 2014 season after the trade ...

to New York in exchange for this pick. * The

' seventh-round pick went to the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

as the result of a trade on June 28, 2014, that sent a third-round pick in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

to Tampa Bay in exchange for a third-round pick in 2014 and this pick. Tampa Bay previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on June 27, 2014, that sent a second-round pick in

to Vancouver in exchange for

Jason Garrison Jason John Maxwell Garrison (born November 13, 1984) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League (AHL). Garrison played two y ...

, the rights to Jeff Costello and this pick. * The

' seventh-round pick (from New York Islanders via Tampa Bay Lightning) went to the

as the result of a trade on June 27, 2015, that sent

Patrick McNally Patrick Sean McNally (born 20 December 1937) is a British businessman, former journalist and racing driver. He was the founder and chief executive of Allsport Management, a Swiss company which controlled Formula One circuit advertising, corporat ...

to San Jose in exchange for this pick.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2015-16 Vancouver Canucks Season Vancouver Canucks seasons Vancouver Canucks season, 2015-16 Vancou