2009–10 Montreal Canadiens season

The 2009–10 Montreal Canadiens season is their 100th season of play and 92nd in the National Hockey League (NHL). The 2009 NHL Entry Draft took place in Montreal, Quebec, on June 26–27.

Off-season
The Canadiens announced Jacques Martin as their new head coach to replace Guy Carbonneau. Martin, the former coach and general manager of the Florida Panthers, and former coach of the Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues, is known for his defense-first style.

On June 20, the Canadiens announced that owner George Gillett had reached an agreement to sell his 80% share of the team, the Bell Centre and the Gillett concert promotion company to Geoffrey, Justin and Andrew Molson. This represents the third time that the hockey club will be owned by the Molson family, which owned it from 1957 to 1971 and from 1978 to 2001. The purchase price was not disclosed but was estimated at between $506 and 537 million. The deal was approved by the NHL board of governors on December 1.

At the Entry Draft, this year held in Montreal at the Bell Centre, the Canadiens made Louis Leblanc their first-round pick. The pick was notable as it was the Canadiens' first first-round pick of a francophone since the team picked Eric Chouinard in the 1998 Entry Draft. Leblanc was born in the Montreal suburb of Kirkland, Quebec.

General Manager Bob Gainey pursued a policy of change for the lineup. Prior to free agency, he traded for top center Scott Gomez in a seven-player deal from the New York Rangers. In free agency, the Canadiens signed Gomez's former New Jersey linemate Brian Gionta, high-scoring Calgary Flames forward Mike Cammalleri, checking line winger Travis Moen, and three defencemen: Hal Gill from Pittsburgh Penguins, Jaroslav Spacek from Buffalo Sabres, and Paul Mara from New York Rangers. Captain Saku Koivu was not offered a contract and instead signed with Anaheim Ducks. Alexei Kovalev turned down a contract and signed with Ottawa Senators. Mike Komisarek signed with Toronto Maple Leafs and Tom Kostopoulos signed with Carolina Hurricanes.

Regular season
For the first time in franchise history, the Canadiens enter the regular season without a captain. On October 6, 2009, the Canadiens signed defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron due to early injuries to Andrei Markov.

On December 28, 2009, forward Michael Cammalleri scored the 20,000th goal in franchise history in a game against the Ottawa Senators.

On February 8, general manager (GM) Bob Gainey announced his retirement as GM from the club, staying on as advisor to the club. Assistant GM Pierre Gauthier becomes the interim GM. Gauthier and coach Jacques Martin held the same positions with the Ottawa Senators in the late 1990s.

Skaters
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes


 * †Player spent time with another team before joining Canadiens. Stats reflect time with Canadiens only.
 * ‡Traded from Canadiens mid-season. Stats reflect time with Canadiens only.

Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Saves; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
 * Four empty net goals scored against in the regular season.


 * Two empty net goals scored against in the playoffs.

Transactions
The Canadiens have been involved in the following transactions during the 2009–10 season.

Lost via retirement

 * Patrice Brisebois

Draft picks
Montreal's picks at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, Quebec.

Hamilton Bulldogs
The Hamilton Bulldogs remain Montreal's top affiliate in the American Hockey League in 2009–10.

Cincinnati Cyclones
Montreal continues their affiliation alongside the Nashville Predators for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL in 2009–10.