The 2020–21 Montreal Canadiens season was the 112th for the club that was established on December 4, 1909, and their 104th season as a franchise in 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 ...

. Due to the Canada–U.S. border restrictions brought in as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the Canadiens were re-aligned with the other six Canadian franchises into the newly formed

North Division Northern Division or North Division can refer to: Sports * Northern Division (Rugby Union) Leagues of England * Queensland Rugby League Northern Division * Southern League Northern Division of the Southern Football League in England * FA Women's ...

. The league's 56 game season was played entirely within the new divisions, meaning that Montreal and the other Canadian teams played an all-Canadian schedule for the 2020–21 regular season as well as the first two rounds of the

2021 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2020–21 season. The playoffs began on May 15, 2021, and concluded on July 7, 2021, with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning their second consecu ...

. On May 10, 2021, the Canadiens clinched a

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

berth after a 4–3 overtime loss to the

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 (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

. In the first round, the Canadiens successfully overcame a 3–1 series deficit to defeat 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. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

in seven games. In the second round, the Canadiens swept the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets 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 te ...

in four games. Since they were the lowest-remaining team from the second round, they played against the

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...

in the Stanley Cup semifinals, defeating them in six games. The Canadiens won the

Clarence S. Campbell Bowl The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, or simply the Campbell Bowl, is a team award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL). Named after Clarence Campbell, who served as president of the NHL from to , it has been awarded for different accomplishm ...

and advanced to the

Stanley Cup Finals The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, ) is the annual championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional spo ...

for the first time since

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, subsequently ending a 10-year Canadian team Finals appearance drought, the

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

(in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

) being the previous team to reach such juncture. In the

2021 Stanley Cup Finals The 2021 Stanley Cup Finals was the Stanley Cup Finals, championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2020–21 NHL season, 2020–21 season and the culmination of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. The series was between the 2020–21 ...

against the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

, the Canadiens lost the first three games of the series, finally earning a win in game four. However, the Canadiens were defeated in five games.

Standings

Divisional standings

Schedule and results

Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on December 23, 2020.

Playoffs

Player statistics

Skaters

Goaltenders

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Canadiens. Stats reflect time with the Canadiens only.
^‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Canadiens only.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record.

Suspensions/fines

Awards and honours

Awards

Milestones

Transactions

The Canadiens had been involved in the following transactions during the 2020–21 season.

Trades

Notes

# 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 ...

' second-round pick went to the

as the result of a trade on October 7, 2020, that sent a fourth-round pick in 2020 (124th overall) and a second-round pick in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

to Montreal in exchange for this pick. #:Montreal previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on February 18, 2020, that sent

Marco Scandella Marco Scandella (born February 23, 1990) is an Italian-Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and St. Louis Blues. ...

to St. Louis in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in

and this pick. # The

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...

' fourth-round pick went to the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

as the result of a trade on October 7, 2020, that sent Washington's third-round pick in

to Montreal in exchange for this pick. #:Montreal previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on June 30, 2019, that sent

Nicolas Deslauriers Nicolas Deslauriers (born February 22, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the third round, 84th overall, by the Los Angeles Kings at the 2009 ...

to Anaheim in exchange for this pick. # The

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

' third-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on October 7, 2020, that sent Anaheim's fourth-round pick in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

(98th overall) to San Jose in exchange for this pick. #:San Jose previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on February 18, 2020, that sent Brenden Dillon to Washington in exchange for Colorado's second-round pick in

and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition—San Jose will receive a third-round pick in 2021 if Washington does not win 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 ...

in 2020—was converted when Washington was eliminated from the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs on August 20, 2020. # The

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

' seventh-round pick went to 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 October 7, 2020, that sent Montreal's seventh-round pick in

to Montreal in exchange for this pick. #:Montreal previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on February 24, 2020, that sent

Matthew Peca Matthew Peca (born April 27, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward for the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round (201st ove ...

to Ottawa in exchange for Aaron Luchuk and this pick. # The Montreal Canadiens' seventh-round pick went

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 July 24, 2021, that sent St. Louis' seventh-round pick in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

to Montreal in exchange for this pick. #:Montreal previously re-acquired this pick as the result of a trade on October 7, 2020, that sent Ottawa's seventh-round pick in

to Chicago in exchange for this pick. #:Chicago previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on June 30, 2019, that sent second and seventh-round picks both in

and a third-round pick in 2021 to Montreal in exchange for Andrew Shaw and this pick. #The Buffalo Sabres will retain 50% of Staal's salary for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. # The Philadelphia Flyers will retain 50% of Gustafsson's salary for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.

Contract terminations

Waivers

Free agents

Signings

Draft picks

Below are the Montreal Canadiens' selections at the 2020 NHL entry draft, which was held virtually via

video conference call Videotelephony (also known as videoconferencing or video calling) is the use of audio signal, audio and video for simultaneous two-way communication. Today, videotelephony is widespread. There are many terms to refer to videotelephony. ''Vide ...

from the NHL Network studio in

Secaucus, New Jersey Secaucus ( ) is a Town (New Jersey), town in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 22,181, an increase of 5,917 (+36.4%) from the 2010 United St ...

on October 6–7, 2020. Originally scheduled for June 26–27, 2020 at the

Bell Centre Bell Centre (French: ''Centre Bell)'', formerly known as Molson Centre, is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, the draft was subsequently postponed on March 25, 2020, due to the

and moved to such format hereafter.

Notes

# The

' second-round pick will go to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on June 30, 2019, that sent Andrew Shaw and a seventh-round pick in

to Chicago in exchange for a seventh-round pick in

, a third-round pick in 2021, and this pick. # The

' fourth-round pick will go to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on June 30, 2018, that sent Simon Bourque to Winnipeg in exchange for Steve Mason,

Joel Armia Joel Armia (; born 31 May 1993) is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2011 NHL entry draft. Ar ...

, a seventh-round pick in

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, and this pick. # The

's fourth-round pick will go to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on October 7, 2020, that sent St. Louis' second-round pick in 2020 to Tampa Bay in exchange for a second-round pick in 2021 and this pick. # 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 ...

' fifth-round pick will go to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on June 22, 2019, that sent Chicago's fifth-round pick in 2019 to Florida in exchange for this pick.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2020-21 Montreal Canadiens season

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

Canadiens French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the provi ...

Montreal Canadiens seasons 2020 in Montreal 2020 in Quebec

2021 in Montreal