The
2015–16 Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
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 axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
was the
90th
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit
Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
season for the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. They entered the season as defending
Stanley Cup champions
The Stanley Cup is a trophy awarded annually to the playoff champion club of the National Hockey League (NHL). It was donated by the Governor General of Canada Lord Stanley of Preston in 1892, and is the oldest professional sports trophy in Nor ...
having won the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
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
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...
. They lost in the first round of the
Stanley Cup playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs () is the annual elimination tournament to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, and the league champion of the National Hockey League (NHL). The four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held after the NHL's regular s ...
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 (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
in seven games.
Patrick Kane
Patrick Timothy Kane II (born November 19, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks with the List of ...
led the Blackhawks with 46 goals and 106 points, both career highs. He was named the winner of the
Hart Memorial Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is an annual award for the most valuable player to his team in the National Hockey League (NHL), voted by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The original tr ...
as most valuable player in the NHL, becoming the first US-born player to receive the award. The Blackhawks had four players who scored 20 or more goals: Kane,
Artemi Panarin
Artemi Sergeyevich Panarin (; born 30 October 1991), nicknamed the "Breadman", or simply "Bread", is a Russian professional ice hockey winger and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously ...
(30),
Jonathan Toews
Jonathan Bryan Toews ( born April 29, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre who last played for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), where he served as the team's captain between 2008 an ...
, and (28)
Artem Anisimov (22). Goalie
Corey Crawford
Corey Crawford (born December 31, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Crow" by teammates and fans, he played his entire professional career with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), w ...
led the Blackhawks with 35 wins. Artemi Panarin received the
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving ...
as rookie of the year.
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.
On June 27, Chicago traded backup goaltender
Antti Raanta
Antti Raanta (born 12 May 1989) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for Lukko in the Finnish Liiga. He last played with Genève-Servette Hockey Club, Genève-Servette HC of the National League (ice hockey), Nationa ...
to the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
in exchange for
AHL forward
Ryan Haggerty. Two days after the trade, defenseman
David Rundblad
David Rundblad (born 8 October 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is currently playing with MoDo Hockey in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Rundblad was drafted 17th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. ...
received a two-year, $2 million contract extension on June 29.
The Blackhawks attempted to negotiate a contract for restricted free agent winger
Brandon Saad
Brandon Saad (born October 27, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Saad grew up playing hockey in his home state of Pennsylvania before joining the Saginaw Spir ...
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
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...
. Chicago sent Saad and prospects
Michael Paliotta
Michael Paliotta (born April 6, 1993) is an Americans, American former professional ice hockey defenceman, defenseman. Paliotta was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 3rd round (70th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He played in the N ...
and
Alex Broadhurst
Alex Broadhurst (born March 7, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for Amur Khabarovsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has formerly played with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...
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. Anisimov subsequently signed a five-year, $22.75 million contract with the Blackhawks. 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.
Chicago turned to
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
a few times throughout the off-season.
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs.
It was considered in ...
winger
Viktor Tihkonov signed a one-year, $1.04 million contract with Chicago on July 1. Tihkonov was returning to the NHL for the first time since his
2009 season with the
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...
. Also, Chicago and
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
swapped minor league players, sending goaltender
Anders Nilsson to the Oilers in exchange for forward Liam Coughlin.
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
Patrick Sharp (born December 27, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Dallas Stars. After his retirement as a pl ...
and defenseman
Stephen Johns to the Dallas Stars in exchange for forward
Ryan Garbutt
Ryan Jonathan Garbutt (born August 12, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He last played under contract to ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
Playing career
Undrafted, Garbutt attended Brown University, p ...
and defenseman
Trevor Daley
Trevor Daley (born October 9, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, currently serving as a Special Assistant to the President of Hockey Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He playe ...
. 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. The team also extended the contracts of defensemen
Viktor Svedberg
Viktor Svedberg (born 24 May 1991) is a Swedish-Kazakhstani professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently a free agent.
Svedberg was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) in October 2013, where he spent five ...
, forward
Marcus Kruger, and defenseman
Michal Rozsival. They lost forwards
Brad Richards
Bradley Ray Richards (born May 2, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre (ice hockey), centre. Richards was drafted in the third round, 64th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and played for the Li ...
and
Antoine Vermette
Antoine Vermette (born July 20, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played for 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Vermette played in the NHL for the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes ...
, as well as defenseman
Johnny Oduya
David Johnny Oduya (born 1 October 1981) is a Swedes, Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Oduya is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 Stanley Cup Fina ...
during free agency.
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.
The streak set a franchise record for consecutive wins.
The streak tied the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...
win streak earlier in the season for the longest winning streak in the NHL that season.
Standings
Schedule and results
Pre-season
Regular season
;Detailed records
Playoffs
Player statistics
Final stats
Skaters
Goaltenders
†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
Milestones
Transactions
The Blackhawks were involved in the following
transactions during the 2015–16 season.
Trades
;Notes
*Pittsburgh to retain 33% ($1.125 million) of salary as part of trade.
*Winnipeg to retain 36% ($1.584 million) of salary as part of trade.
*Chicago to retain 50% ($1.125 million) of salary as part of trade.
*Los Angeles to retain 15% ($225,000) of salary as part of trade.
Free agents acquired
Free agents lost
Claimed via waivers
Lost via waivers
Lost via retirement
Player signings
Suspensions/fines
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
Amerant Bank Arena (previously known as the National Car Rental Center, Office Depot Center, BankAtlantic Center, BB&T Center, and FLA Live Arena) is an indoor arena in Sunrise, Florida, United States. It is the home venue for the Florida Panth ...
in
Sunrise, Florida
Sunrise is a city in central-western Broward County, Florida, Broward County, Florida, United States, and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. The population was 97,335 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
Early history
In ...
.
;Draft notes
* The
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
' first-round pick went the
Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...
as the result of a trade on February 28, 2015, that sent
Antoine Vermette
Antoine Vermette (born July 20, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played for 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Vermette played in the NHL for the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes ...
to Chicago in exchange for
Klas Dahlbeck and this pick.
* The Chicago Blackhawks received the 24th pick of this round (54th overall) as compensation for not signing
2010 first-round draft pick
Kevin Hayes
Kevin Patrick Hayes (born May 8, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Growing up in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Hayes played hockey for the Noble and ...
.
*The
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
' second-round pick went to the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
as the result of a trade on February 27, 2015, that sent
Kimmo Timonen
Kimmo Samuel Timonen (born 18 March 1975) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Chicago Blackhawks. Timonen had pla ...
to Chicago in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
and this pick.
* The
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
' sixth-round pick went the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
as the result of a trade on July 16, 2013 that sent
Daniel Carcillo to Los Angeles in exchange for this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Chicago will receive a sixth-round pick in 2015 if Carcillo plays less than 40 games with Los Angeles during the
2013–14 NHL season
The 2013–14 NHL season was the 97th season of operation (96th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season features a realignment of the league's 30 teams from a six to a four division format. The regular season began Octob ...
– was converted on January 4, 2014, when Carcillo was traded to the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
after playing only 26 games with the Kings.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2015-16 Chicago Blackhawks Season
Chicago Blackhawks seasons
Chicago Blackhawks season, 2015-16
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
2015 in Chicago
2016 in Chicago