| 2019–20Montreal Canadiens | |
|---|---|
| Division | 5thAtlantic |
| Conference | 12thEastern |
| 2019–20 record | 31–31–9 |
| Home record | 14–17–6 |
| Road record | 17–14–3 |
| Goals for | 212 |
| Goals against | 221 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Marc Bergevin |
| Coach | Claude Julien Kirk Muller (interim, Aug. 13 – Aug. 21)[1] |
| Captain | Shea Weber |
| Alternate captains | Paul Byron Brendan Gallagher |
| Arena | Bell Centre |
| Average attendance | 21,085[2] |
| Minor league affiliate | Laval Rocket (AHL) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Brendan Gallagher Tomas Tatar (22) |
| Assists | Tomas Tatar (39) |
| Points | Tomas Tatar (61) |
| Penalty minutes | Ben Chiarot (61) |
| Plus/minus | Phillip Danault (+18) |
| Wins | Carey Price (27) |
| Goals against average | Cayden Primeau (2.52) |
The2019–20 Montreal Canadiens season was the111th season for the franchise that was established on December 4, 1909, and their 103rd season as a franchise in theNational Hockey League (NHL).
As a result of the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic, the season was suspended by league officials on March 12, 2020, after several other professional and collegiate sports organizations likewise followed suit.[3][4] On May 26, the NHL regular season was officially declared over with all remaining games being cancelled.[5] The Canadiens would advance to the playoffs for the first time since the2016–17 season, defeating thePittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round, but were eliminated by thePhiladelphia Flyers in the first round in six games.[6]
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | p –Boston Bruins | 70 | 44 | 14 | 12 | 38 | 227 | 174 | +53 | 100 |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 70 | 43 | 21 | 6 | 35 | 245 | 195 | +50 | 92 |
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 36 | 25 | 9 | 28 | 238 | 227 | +11 | 81 |
| 4 | Florida Panthers | 69 | 35 | 26 | 8 | 30 | 231 | 228 | +3 | 78 |
| 5 | Montreal Canadiens | 71 | 31 | 31 | 9 | 19 | 212 | 221 | −9 | 71 |
| 6 | Buffalo Sabres | 69 | 30 | 31 | 8 | 22 | 195 | 217 | −22 | 68 |
| 7 | Ottawa Senators | 71 | 25 | 34 | 12 | 18 | 191 | 243 | −52 | 62 |
| 8 | Detroit Red Wings | 71 | 17 | 49 | 5 | 13 | 145 | 267 | −122 | 39 |
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | PCT | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Bruins | 70 | 44 | 14 | 12 | 38 | 227 | 174 | +53 | .714 | Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament[8] |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 70 | 43 | 21 | 6 | 35 | 245 | 195 | +50 | .657 | |
| 3 | Washington Capitals | 69 | 41 | 20 | 8 | 31 | 240 | 215 | +25 | .652 | |
| 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 69 | 41 | 21 | 7 | 31 | 232 | 196 | +36 | .645 | |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 69 | 40 | 23 | 6 | 29 | 224 | 196 | +28 | .623 | Advance to2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round[8] |
| 6 | Carolina Hurricanes | 68 | 38 | 25 | 5 | 27 | 222 | 193 | +29 | .596 | |
| 7 | New York Islanders | 68 | 35 | 23 | 10 | 24 | 192 | 193 | −1 | .588 | |
| 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 36 | 25 | 9 | 28 | 238 | 227 | +11 | .579 | |
| 9 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 70 | 33 | 22 | 15 | 25 | 180 | 187 | −7 | .579 | |
| 10 | Florida Panthers | 69 | 35 | 26 | 8 | 30 | 231 | 228 | +3 | .565 | |
| 11 | New York Rangers | 70 | 37 | 28 | 5 | 31 | 234 | 222 | +12 | .564 | |
| 12 | Montreal Canadiens | 71 | 31 | 31 | 9 | 19 | 212 | 221 | −9 | .500 | |
| 13 | Buffalo Sabres | 69 | 30 | 31 | 8 | 22 | 195 | 217 | −22 | .493 | |
| 14 | New Jersey Devils | 69 | 28 | 29 | 12 | 22 | 189 | 230 | −41 | .493 | |
| 15 | Ottawa Senators | 71 | 25 | 34 | 12 | 18 | 191 | 243 | −52 | .437 | |
| 16 | Detroit Red Wings | 71 | 17 | 49 | 5 | 13 | 145 | 267 | −122 | .275 |
The preseason schedule was published on June 18, 2019.[10]
| 2019 preseason game log: 5–2–0 (Home: 4–1–0; Road: 1–1–0) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Recap |
| 1 | September 16 | New Jersey | 2–4 | Montreal | Primeau | 19,080 | 1–0–0 | [11] | |
| 2 | September 18[a] | Florida | 3–4 | Montreal | Lindgren | 3,500 | 2–0–0 | [12] | |
| 3 | September 19 | Florida | 4–5 | Montreal | SO | Price | 19,101 | 3–0–0 | [13] |
| 4 | September 21 | Montreal | 4–0 | Ottawa | Kinkaid | 11,185 | 4–0–0 | [14] | |
| 5 | September 23 | Toronto | 3–0 | Montreal | Lindgren | – | 4–1–0 | [15] | |
| 6 | September 25 | Montreal | 0–3 | Toronto | Kinkaid | 18,863 | 4–2–0 | [16] | |
| 7 | September 28 | Ottawa | 3–4 | Montreal | OT | Price | 20,746 | 5–2–0 | [17] |
Notes: | |||||||||
The regular season schedule was released on June 25, 2019.[18]
| 2019–20 game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legend: Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Canadiens defeated thePittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round in four games.[90][91]
The Canadiens faced thePhiladelphia Flyers in the first round,[92] but were eliminated in six games.
| 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legend: Win Loss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carey Price | 58 | 58 | 3,439:49 | 27 | 25 | 6 | 160 | 2.79 | 1,755 | .909 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Charlie Lindgren | 6 | 6 | 360:51 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 3.33 | 178 | .888 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cayden Primeau | 2 | 2 | 119:06 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2.52 | 72 | .931 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keith Kinkaid | 6 | 5 | 339:59 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 4.24 | 192 | .875 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carey Price | 10 | 10 | 605:32 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 1.78 | 282 | .936 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
†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.
| Player | Explanation | Length | Salary | Date issued | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Cousins | Boarding Red Wings defencemanMike Green | N/A | $2,688.17 | January 8, 2020 | [107] |
| Claude Julien | Inappropriate comments against officials during a postgame press conference | N/A | $10,000.00 | February 17, 2020 | [108] |
| Player | Award | Awarded | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shea Weber | NHL All-Star Game selection | December 30, 2019 | [109] |
| Nick Suzuki | NHL All-Rookie Team selection | September 21, 2020 | [110] |
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The Canadiens have been involved in the followingtransactions during the 2019–20 season.
| Date | Details | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 22, 2019 (2019-06-22) | ToFlorida Panthers CHI's 5th-round pick in2019 | To Montreal Canadiens 5th-round pick in2020 | [137] |
| June 22, 2019 (2019-06-22) | ToSan Jose Sharks 4th-round pick in 2019 | To Montreal Canadiens 4th-round pick in 2020 | [138] |
| June 22, 2019 (2019-06-22) | ToPhiladelphia Flyers 7th-round pick in 2020 | To Montreal Canadiens 7th-round pick in 2019 | [139] |
| June 22, 2019 (2019-06-22) | ToLos Angeles Kings CBJ's 2nd-round pick in 2019 | To Montreal Canadiens 3rd-round pick in 2019 5th-round pick in 2019 | [140] |
| June 30, 2019 (2019-06-30) | ToChicago Blackhawks Andrew Shaw 7th-round pick in2021 | To Montreal Canadiens 2nd-round pick in 2020 7th-round pick in 2020 3rd-round pick in 2021 | [141] |
| June 30, 2019 (2019-06-30) | ToAnaheim Ducks Nicolas Deslauriers | To Montreal Canadiens 4th-round pick in 2020 | [142] |
| January 2, 2020 (2020-01-02) | ToBuffalo Sabres SJ's 4th-round pick in 2020 | To Montreal Canadiens Marco Scandella | [143] |
| January 2, 2020 (2020-01-02) | ToOttawa Senators Mike Reilly | To Montreal Canadiens Andrew Sturtz 5th-round pick in2021 | [144] |
| January 7, 2020 (2020-01-07) | ToNashville Predators Michael McCarron | To Montreal Canadiens Laurent Dauphin | [145] |
| February 18, 2020 (2020-02-18) | ToSt. Louis Blues Marco Scandella | To Montreal Canadiens 2nd-round pick in 2020 Conditional 4th-round pick in 2021 | [146] |
| February 20, 2020 (2020-02-20) | ToPittsburgh Penguins Riley Barber Phil Varone | To Montreal Canadiens Joseph Blandisi Jake Lucchini | [147] |
| February 23, 2020 (2020-02-23) | ToWashington Capitals Ilya Kovalchuk | To Montreal Canadiens 3rd-round pick in 2020 | [148] |
| February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24) | To Philadelphia Flyers Nate Thompson | To Montreal Canadiens 5th-round pick in 2021 | [149] |
| February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24) | To Ottawa Senators Matthew Peca | To Montreal Canadiens Aaron Luchuk 7th-round pick in 2020 | [150] |
| February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24) | ToVegas Golden Knights Nick Cousins | To Montreal Canadiens 4th-round pick in 2021 | [151] |
| September 2, 2020 (2020-09-02) | To St. Louis Blues WSH's 3rd-round pick in 2020 CHI's 7th-round pick in 2020 | To Montreal Canadiens Jake Allen 7th-round pick in 2022 | [152] |
| September 12, 2020 (2020-09-12) | ToCarolina Hurricanes 5th-round pick in 2020 | To Montreal Canadiens Joel Edmundson | [153] |
| Date | Player | Team | Contract term | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Riley Barber | fromWashington Capitals | 1-year | [154] |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Keith Kinkaid | fromNew Jersey Devils | 1-year | [155] |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Brett Lernout | toVegas Golden Knights | 1-year | [156] |
| July 3, 2019 (2019-07-03) | Phil Varone | fromPhiladelphia Flyers | 1-year | [157] |
| July 4, 2019 (2019-07-04) | Ben Chiarot | fromWinnipeg Jets | 3-year | [158] |
| July 5, 2019 (2019-07-05) | Nick Cousins | fromArizona Coyotes | 1-year | [159] |
| July 18, 2019 (2019-07-18) | Hunter Shinkaruk | toCharlotte Checkers (AHL) | 1-year | [160] |
| September 13, 2019 (2019-09-13) | Daniel Audette | toSpringfield Thunderbirds (AHL) | 1-year | [161] |
| January 3, 2020 (2020-01-03) | Ilya Kovalchuk | fromLos Angeles Kings | 1-year | [162] |
| April 21, 2020 (2020-04-21) | Vasili Demchenko | fromMetallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL) | 1-year | [163] |
| Date | Player | Via | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 7, 2019 (2019-12-07) | David Sklenicka | Mutual termination | [164] |
| Date | Player | Contract term | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 11, 2019 (2019-07-11) | Joel Armia | 2-year | [165] |
| July 11, 2019 (2019-07-11) | Artturi Lehkonen | 2-year | [166] |
| July 19, 2019 (2019-07-19) | Charles Hudon | 1-year | [167] |
| July 27, 2019 (2019-07-27) | Michael McCarron | 1-year | [168] |
| March 19, 2020 (2020-03-19) | Alex Belzile | 1-year | [169] |
| March 25, 2020 (2020-03-25) | Gustav Olofsson | 1-year | [170] |
| March 26, 2020 (2020-03-26) | Jesse Ylonen | 3-year | [171] |
| April 3, 2020 (2020-04-03) | Laurent Dauphin | 1-year | [172] |
| May 1, 2020 (2020-05-01) | Arsen Khisamutdinov | 2-year | [173] |
| May 12, 2020 (2020-05-12) | Cam Hillis | 3-year | [174] |
| July 13, 2020 (2020-07-13) | Alexander Romanov | 3-year | [175] |
| September 4, 2020 (2020-09-04) | Lukas Vejdemo | 1-year | [176] |
| September 16, 2020 (2020-09-16) | Joel Edmundson | 4-year | [177] |
| September 23, 2020 (2020-09-23) | Jake Evans | 2-year | [178] |
| September 25, 2020 (2020-09-25) | Joseph Blandisi | 1-year | [179] |
| September 25, 2020 (2020-09-25) | Jeff Petry | 4-year | [180] |
| September 28, 2020 (2020-09-28) | Jake Lucchini | 1-year | [181] |
Below are the Montreal Canadiens' selections at the2019 NHL entry draft, which was held on June 21 and 22, 2019, atRogers Arena inVancouver, British Columbia.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Cole Caufield | RW | U.S. National Team Development Team (USHL) | |
| 2 | 46 | Jayden Struble | D | St. Sebastian's (USHS-Prep) | |
| 3 | 641 | Mattias Norlinder | D | MODO (Sweden Jrs.) | |
| 3 | 77 | Gianni Fairbrother | D | Everett Silvertips (WHL) | |
| 5 | 1262 | Jacob LeGuerrier | D | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) | |
| 5 | 1313 | Rhett Pitlick | LW | Chaska (USHS-MN) | |
| 5 | 1384 | Frederik Nissen Dichow | G | Vojens (Denmark Jrs.) | |
| 6 | 170 | Arsen Khisamutdinov | C | JHC Reaktor (MHL) | |
| 7 | 2015 | Rafael Harvey-Pinard | LW | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL) | |
| 7 | 2066 | Kieran Ruscheinski | D | Calgary Northstars (AMHL) |