2011-12 Montreal Canadiens season

2011–12 Montreal Canadiens
Division	5th Northeast
Conference	15th Eastern
2011–12 record	31–35–16 (78 pts.)
Home record	16–15–10
Road record	15–20–6
Goals for	212
Goals against	226
Team information
General manager	Pierre Gauthier (Oct-Mar) vacant (Mar-Apr)
Coach	Jacques Martin (Oct-Dec) Randy Cunneyworth (Dec-Apr) interim
Captain	Brian Gionta
Alternate captains	Hal Gill (Oct–Feb) Andrei Markov Rotating (Feb-Apr)
Arena	Bell Centre
Average attendance	21,273 (100%) Total: 872,193
Team leaders
Goals	Erik Cole (35)
Assists	David Desharnais (44)
Points	Max Pacioretty (65)
Penalty minutes	P.K. Subban (119)
Plus/minus	Josh Gorges (+14)
Wins	Carey Price (26)

The 2011–12 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 103rd season in franchise history and their 95th season in the National Hockey League since the league was established on November 22, 1917.

Off-season

Heading into the off-season, Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier had certain issues to address. There were several unrestriced free agents on the team that included, most notably Jeff Halpern, Roman Hamrlik, Alex Auld, Brent Sopel, Hal Gill, James Wisniewski, Mathieu Darche and Andrei Markov.

The team managed to re-sign Gill, Darche and Markov. On the other hand, no contracts were offered to Halpern, Auld and Sopel, thus allowing them to leave the team. Roman Hamrlik rejected the Canadiens's one-year offer and instead accepted a two-year contract with the Washington Capitals. James Wisniewski let it be known that he would be testing the free agent market (where a bidding war for his services would ensue). On June 29, his negotiating rights were traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

On the restricted free agent side, qualifying offers were made to Andrei Kostitsyn, Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais, Yannick Weber, Ryan White and Josh Gorges, all were eventually re-signed. No qualifying offers were made to forwards Dustin Boyd, Tom Pyatt, Benoit Pouliot and defenseman Alexandre Picard, thus allowing them to become unrestricted free agents.

On the first day of free agency on July 1, Pierre Gauthier addressed two needs, a big body forward and a reliable back-up goaltender. They were successful in signing forward Erik Cole from the Carolina Hurricanes to a four-year contract worth $18 million. The need for a capable back-up goaltender to help out Carey Price was also fulfilled when they signed free agent Peter Budaj from the Colorado Avalanche to a two-year contract worth $2.3 million.

Another notable transaction during the off-season is the signing of rugged Russian defenceman Alexei Yemelin to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2011–12 season. Yemelin, drafted by the team in the third round with the 84th overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, was under the Canadiens radar for quite some time. He finally agreed to make the jump to North America when a clause was inserted in his contract, stating that he would be able to return to the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia should he be unable to crack the Canadiens roster. Yemelin is often compared to fellow Russian and former NHL defenceman Darius Kasparaitis, who was known for his aggressive physical playing style.

Assistant coach Kirk Muller, who was part of the Canadiens coaching staff since 2006, confirmed rumours that he was actively seeking a head coaching position in the NHL and would be leaving the team. On June 27, 2011, following his inability to find a head coaching position in the NHL, the Nashville Predators announced that Muller had been hired as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. He would later fulfill his dream when on November 28, 2011, Muller became coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, taking over for Paul Maurice.

Following Muller's departure, general manager Pierre Gauthier announced the appointment of Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur as assistant coaches. Cunneyworth and Ladouceur were coach and assistant coach respectfully for the Canadiens's AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs during the previous season. The addition of Ladouceur also provides the team the first former defenseman as an assistant coach since the 2005-06 NHL season.

Season Timeline

October

The Canadiens started with the team's worst start since 1941. Prior to their first game of the season, defenceman Andrei Markov was placed on the injured reserved list. The Canadiens started the season with a 2–0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. During the game, newly acquired defenceman Chris Campoli suffered a hamstring injury and was sidelined indefinitely.

The team's first win of the season was a 5–1 decision against the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre, which was the Jets' first game in the newly relocated franchise's history.

The Canadiens played their home opener on October 13 in a 4–1 loss to the Calgary Flames. This coincided with Lars Eller's first game of the season following off-season shoulder surgery. That same day, the team announced that forward Ryan White had surgery for a sports hernia and would be sidelined indefinitely.

On October 23, the team traded longtime prospect Brock Trotter and their 7th round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft to the Phoenix Coyotes for forward Petteri Nokelainen and defenseman Garrett Stafford.

The team would go on to a six-game losing streak and five-game losing streak at home until defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 5 – 1 on October 26, 2011 at the Bell Centre. Prior to the game, the Canadiens relieved assistant coach Perry Pearn of his duties, offering him (but he declined) another position in the organization. Pearn was replaced behind the bench by Randy Ladouceur, who until then was situated in the press box during game time.

Molson Cup player of the month: Carey Price.

November

On November 10 the Canadiens beat the Phoenix Coyotes 3–2 in overtime to continue their winning streak in Phoenix. The Coyotes have not beaten the Canadiens at home ice since December 9, 1998, when they won 4–2.

Carey Price recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time of his career in duplicate 4–0 wins against the Carolina Hurricanes on November 16 and the New York Rangers on November 19.

Max Pacioretty was suspended by NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan for three games following a questionable hit on Pittsburgh Penguins defencemen Kristopher Letang on November 26 at the Bell Centre. Letang suffered a broken nose but still managed to finish the game. No penalty had been called on the hit.

The month also saw the NHL debuts of defenceman Frédéric Saint-Denis on November 16 in a 4–0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes and Louis Leblanc on November 30 in a 4–1 loss to the Ahaheim Ducks.

Molson Cup player of the month: Carey Price.

December

In an effort to bolster their power play, which was ranked 29th out of 30 teams in the league, Pierre Gauthier acquired defenseman Tomas Kaberle from the Carolina Hurricanes on December 9 in exchange for defenseman Jaroslav Spacek. In his first game with the Canadiens, Kaberle registered two assists, including one on the power play, in a 2–1 road win against the New Jersey Devils.

Chris Campoli returned to action on December 13 against the New York Islanders. He was sidelined with a lower body injury suffered during the team's season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs back on October 6.

Feeling that the team was under performing despite a 13–12–7 record, Pierre Gauthier fires head coach Jacques Martin on December 17. Assistant Coach Randy Cunneyworth was named interim head coach. Cunneyworth became the first unilingual English speaking active head coach of the Canadiens since Bob Berry, who was head coach from 1981–84. Assistant General Manager Larry Carriere was named assistant coach in a questionable move, as Carriere has never coached hockey in any level whatsoever. Cunneyworth's first game as the interim head coach resulted in a 5–3 lost against the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre on December 17.

Under interim coach Cunneyworth, the team embarked on a five game losing skid until finally winning their first game under their new coach in a convincing 6–2 win against the Senators in Ottawa on December 27. Despite this win, the team dropped their next two games and closed off the month losing 7 of their last 8 games.

Molson Cup player of the month: Carey Price.

January

Lars Eller started off the new year in style on January 4 by scoring four goals (three in the 3rd period alone) to help his team pounce the Winnipeg Jets 7–3 at the Bell Centre. Eller becomes the first Canadiens player to score 4 goals in one game since Jan Bulis did so against the Philadelphia Flyers back on January 26, 2006.

On January 12 goaltender Carey Price was invited to the 2012 NHL All Star game which was played on January 29 in Ottawa. He was accompagnied by teammate Raphael Diaz, who participated in the rookie skills competition held on January 28.

One day after Michael Cammalleri made disparaging remarks about the current status of the Montreal Canadiens, the Habs decided to part ways with the veteran forward. On Thursday January 12, Cammalleri was pulled out of a game against the Boston Bruins to find out that he'd been traded to the Calgary Flames along with goaltender Karri Ramo and a fifth round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. Montreal received forwards Rene Bourque, Patrick Holland, and a second round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. Bourque is a salary cap hit of $3.3 million until the 2015–16 season. This is Cammalleri's second tenure with the Flames, where he scored 39 goals during the 2008–09 season.

Molson Cup player of the month: Max Pacioretty.

February

Max Pacioretty scored the first hat trick of his career in a 4–2 win against the New York Islanders on February 9.

After being sidelined since the beginning of the season with a sports hernia, Ryan White finally made his season debut on February 15 against the Boston Bruins at the Bell Centre.

With their playoff hopes dying with each passing day, Pierre Gauthier became a seller. On February 17, Montreal sent defenseman Hal Gill and a conditional 2013 fifth-round draft pick to the Nashville Predators for a 2012 second-round pick, prospect Robert Slaney as well as Blake Geoffrion, who is the grandson of former Habs great Bernard Geoffrion and great-grandson of Canadiens legend Howie Morenz.

During the trade deadline on February 27, the Canadiens reacquired their 5th round conditional pick in the Hall Gill trade, as well as the Predators's 2nd round pick in 2013 for forward Andrei Kostitsyn. They also claimed via re-entry waivers enforcer Brad Staubitz from the Minnesota Wild. Despite rumors to the contrary, Travis Moen and Chris Campoli, who will both become unresticted free agents at the end of season, were not moved.

The Canadiens finished the month losing 7 of their last 8 including, including a 5 game losing streak.

Molson Cup player of the month: Carey Price.

March and April

Max Pacioretty became the first American born player in Canadiens history to reach the 30 goal mark during a 5–4 victory on March 8 against the Edmonton Oilers.

March 10 saw the return of defenceman Andrei Markov in the line up. He registered an assist in the Canadiens 4–1 win against the Vancouver Canucks. Markov, who had been sidelined with a torn ACL, played his first game since November 13, 2010, missing almost 16 months of action.

Erik Cole scored a natural hat trick just 5:41 after the opening faceoff on March 24 when the Habs defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-1. Cole in turn becomes the second American born player in Canadiens history to reach the 30 goal plateau. This is also a team record for the fastest natural hat trick to start a game by any Canadiens player. Cole finished the season with a record high 35 goals for an American born player.

The Canadiens were officially eliminated from playoff contention, on their 76th game of the season, following a 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on March 24.

On March 29, team owner Geoff Molson officially relieved GM Pierre Gauthier of his duties as general manager . Bob Gainey was also let go of his duties as special advisor to the GM. Mr. Molson further announced that former Habs GM Serge Savard would be acting as special advisor to find the next general manager.

April 1 saw the NHL debut of Gabriel Dumont in a winning cause against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Molson Cup player of the month: Carey Price.

Playoffs

The Canadiens missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Standings

Northeast Division GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts 1 y – Boston Bruins 82 49 29 4 40 269 202 102 2 Ottawa Senators 82 41 31 10 35 249 240 92 3 Buffalo Sabres 82 39 32 11 32 218 230 89 4 Toronto Maple Leafs 82 35 37 10 31 231 264 80 5 Montreal Canadiens 82 31 35 16 26 212 226 78

Eastern Conference R Div GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts 1 z – New York Rangers * AT 82 51 24 7 47 226 187 109 2 y – Boston Bruins * NE 82 49 29 4 40 269 202 102 3 y – Florida Panthers * SE 82 38 26 18 32 203 227 94 4 Pittsburgh Penguins AT 82 51 25 6 42 282 221 108 5 Philadelphia Flyers AT 82 47 26 9 43 264 232 103 6 New Jersey Devils AT 82 48 28 6 36 228 209 102 7 Washington Capitals SE 82 42 32 8 38 222 230 92 8 Ottawa Senators NE 82 41 31 10 35 249 240 92 8.5 9 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 39 32 11 32 218 230 89 10 Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 38 36 8 35 235 281 84 11 Winnipeg Jets SE 82 37 35 10 33 225 246 84 12 Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 33 33 16 32 213 243 82 13 Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 35 37 10 31 231 264 80 14 New York Islanders AT 82 34 37 11 27 203 255 79 15 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 31 35 16 26 212 226 78

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast; ROW: Total of games won in regulation or overtime, not shootout.

* – Division leader, y – Clinched division, z Clinched conference (and division)

Schedule and results

Pre-season

2011 Pre-season game log
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Decision	Location	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 20	Dallas Stars	3–6	Price	Montreal, PQ	21,273	0–1–0
2	September 21	Buffalo Sabres	1–3	Mayer	Montreal, PQ	21,273	0–2–0
3	September 23	Ottawa Senators	4–3 SO	Lawson	Ottawa, ON	17,853	1–2–0
4	September 24	Ottawa Senators	2–3	Price	Montreal, PQ	21,273	1–3–0
5	September 25	Boston Bruins	3–7	Budaj	Halifax, NS	10,595	1–4–0
6	September 26	Boston Bruins	1–2	Price	Montreal, PQ	21,273	1–5–0
7	September 29	Tampa Bay Lightning	0–4	Budaj	Montreal, PQ	21,273	1–6–0
8	October 1	Tampa Bay Lightning	5–1	Price	Quebec City, PQ	15,176	2–6–0

Player stats

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Regular season Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Pacioretty, MaxMax Pacioretty 79 33 32 65 2 56 Cole, ErikErik Cole 82 35 26 61 11 48 Desharnais, DavidDavid Desharnais 81 16 44 60 10 24 Plekanec, TomasTomas Plekanec 81 17 35 52 −15 56 Subban, P. K.P. K. Subban 81 7 29 36 9 119 Eller, LarsLars Eller 79 16 12 28 −5 66 ‡Kostitsyn, AndreiAndrei Kostitsyn 53 12 12 24 −8 16 †Kaberle, TomasTomas Kaberle 43 3 19 22 −6 10 ‡Cammalleri, MichaelMichael Cammalleri 38 9 13 22 −6 10 Weber, YannickYannick Weber 60 4 14 18 −7 30 Moen, TravisTravis Moen 48 9 7 16 −3 41 Gorges, JoshJosh Gorges 82 2 14 16 14 39 Diaz, RaphaelRaphael Diaz 59 3 13 16 −7 30 Gionta, BrianBrian Gionta 31 8 7 15 −7 16 Darche, MathieuMathieu Darche 61 5 7 12 −4 18 Gomez, ScottScott Gomez 38 2 9 11 −9 14 Campoli, ChrisChris Campoli 43 2 9 11 −3 8 Leblanc, LouisLouis Leblanc 42 5 5 10 3 28 †Bourque, ReneRene Bourque 38 5 3 8 −16 27 ‡Gill, HalHal Gill 53 1 7 8 −7 29 Emelin, AlexeiAlexei Emelin 67 3 4 7 −18 30 Nokelainen, PetteriPetteri Nokelainen 51 3 3 6 −5 37 Palushaj, AaronAaron Palushaj 38 1 4 5 1 8 Blunden, MikeMike Blunden 39 2 2 4 −1 27 Markov, AndreiAndrei Markov 13 0 3 3 −4 4 White, RyanRyan White 20 0 3 3 −7 61 Saint-Denis, FredericFrederic Saint-Denis 17 1 2 3 3 10 ‡Spacek, JaroslavJaroslav Spacek 12 0 3 3 2 2 †Geoffrion, BlakeBlake Geoffrion 13 2 0 2 2 10 †Staubitz, BradBrad Staubitz 19 1 0 1 2 48 Dumont, GabrielGabriel Dumont 3 0 0 0 −1 0 Engqvist, AndreasAndreas Engqvist 12 0 0 0 −1 4

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA= Goals Against Average; SA= Shots Against; SV= Saves; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO= Shutouts

Regular season
Player GP TOI W L OT GA GAA SA Sv% SO G A PIM Price, CareyCarey Price 65 3944 26 28 11 160 2.43 1914 .916 4 0 2 6 Budaj, PeterPeter Budaj 17 1037 5 7 5 44 2.55 508 .913 0 0 3 2

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Canadiens. Stats reflect time with Canadiens only.
^‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Canadiens only.

Awards and records

Awards

Regular season
Player	Award	Date
Carey Price	NHL First Star of the Week	October 31, 2011
Carey Price	NHL First Star of the Week	November 21, 2011

Milestones

Regular season
Player	Milestone	Reached
Raphael Diaz	1st Career NHL Game	October 6, 2011
Alexei Emelin	1st Career NHL Game	October 9, 2011
Raphael Diaz	1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point	October 15, 2011
Andrei Kostitsyn	100th Career NHL Assist	October 15, 2011
Raphael Diaz	1st Career NHL Goal	October 18, 2011
Hal Gill	1,000th Career NHL Game	October 20, 2011
Michael Cammalleri	500th Career NHL Game	October 22, 2011
Carey Price	100th Career NHL Win	October 26, 2011
Mathieu Darche	200th Career NHL Game	October 30, 2011
Brian Gionta	200th Career NHL Assist	November 5, 2011
Petteri Nokelainen	200th Career NHL Game	November 5, 2011
Lars Eller	100th Career NHL Game	November 16, 2011
Travis Moen	100th Career NHL Point	November 16, 2011
Frederic Saint-Denis	1st Career NHL Game	November 16, 2011
Erik Cole	400th Career NHL Point	November 17, 2011
Tomas Plekanec	200th Career NHL Assist	November 17, 2011
P.K. Subban	100th Career NHL Game	November 21, 2011
Louis Leblanc	1st Career NHL Game	November 30, 2011
Louis Leblanc	1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point	December 3, 2011
Alexei Emelin	1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point	December 6, 2011
Frederic Saint-Denis	1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	December 8, 2011
Tomas Plekanec	500th Career NHL Game	December 10, 2011
Michael Cammalleri	400th Career NHL Point	December 13, 2011
Andrei Kostitsyn	200th Career NHL Point	December 13, 2011
Chris Campoli	400th Career NHL Game	December 15, 2011
Louis Leblanc	1st Career NHL Goal	December 15, 2011
Josh Gorges	400th Career NHL Game	December 22, 2011
Erik Cole	200th Career NHL Goal	December 31, 2011
Alexei Emelin	1st Career NHL Goal	January 25, 2012
David Desharnais	100th Career NHL Game	February 2, 2012
Max Pacioretty	1st Career NHL Hat-trick	February 9, 2012
Aaron Palushaj	1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point	February 5, 2012
Yannick Weber	100th Career NHL Game	March 3, 2012
Max Pacioretty	100th Career NHL Point	March 6, 2012
Brad Staubitz	200th Career NHL Game	March 6, 2012
Scott Gomez	900th Career NHL Game	March 8, 2012
Aaron Palushaj	1st Career NHL Goal	March 17, 2012
Frederic Saint-Denis	1st Career NHL Assist	March 27, 2012
Erik Cole	700th Career NHL Game	April 4, 2012
Gabriel Dumont	1st Career NHL Game	April 4, 2012
Max Pacioretty	200th Career NHL Game	April 4, 2012

Final roster

Updated April 7, 2012.

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
45	Canada	Blunden, MikeMike Blunden	7.0 RW	R	39	2011	Toronto, Ontario
27	Canada	Bourque, ReneRene Bourque	6.0 LW	L	43	2012	Lac La Biche, Alberta
30	Slovakia	Budaj, PeterPeter Budaj	1.0 G	L	42	2011	Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia
17	Canada	Campoli, ChrisChris Campoli	2.0 D	L	40	2011	North York, Ontario
72	United States	Cole, ErikErik Cole	7.0 RW	L	46	2011	Oswego, New York
52	Canada	Darche, MathieuMathieu Darche	6.0 LW	L	48	2009	Montreal, Quebec
51	Canada	Desharnais, DavidDavid Desharnais	4.0 C	L	38	2008	Quebec City, Quebec
61	Switzerland	Diaz, RaphaelRaphael Diaz	2.0 D	L	38	2011	Baar, Switzerland
81	Denmark	Eller, LarsLars Eller	4.0 C	L	35	2010	Rødovre, Denmark
74	Russia	Emelin, AlexeiAlexei Emelin	2.0 D	L	38	2004	Togliatti, Soviet Union
21	United States	Gionta, BrianBrian Gionta  (C)	7.0 RW	R	46	2009	Rochester, New York
11	United States	Gomez, ScottScott Gomez	4.0 C	L	45	2009	Anchorage, Alaska
26	Canada	Gorges, JoshJosh Gorges	2.0 D	L	40	2007	Kelowna, British Columbia
22	Czech Republic	Kaberle, TomasTomas Kaberle	2.0 D	L	47	2011	Rakovník, Czechoslovakia
79	Russia	Markov, AndreiAndrei Markov  (A)	2.0 D	L	46	1998	Voskresensk, Soviet Union
32	Canada	Moen, TravisTravis Moen	6.0 LW	L	42	2009	Stewart Valley, Saskatchewan
15	Finland	Nokelainen, PetteriPetteri Nokelainen	4.0 C	R	39	2011	Imatra, Finland
67	United States	Pacioretty, MaxMax Pacioretty	6.0 LW	L	36	2007	New Canaan, Connecticut
14	Czech Republic	Plekanec, TomasTomas Plekanec	4.0 C	L	42	2001	Kladno, Czechoslovakia
31	Canada	Price, CareyCarey Price	1.0 G	L	37	2005	Anahim Lake, British Columbia
25	Canada	Staubitz, BradBrad Staubitz	7.0 RW	R	40	2012	Edmonton, Alberta
76	Canada	Subban, P.K.P.K. Subban	2.0 D	R	35	2007	Toronto, Ontario
68	Switzerland	Weber, YannickYannick Weber	2.0 D	R	36	2007	Morges, Switzerland
53	Canada	White, RyanRyan White	4.0 C	R	37	2006	Brandon, Manitoba

Transactions

The Canadiens have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season:

Trades

Date	Details
June 25, 2011	To Winnipeg Jets 3rd-round pick (#78 overall) in 2011	To Montreal Canadiens 4th-round pick (#97 overall) in 2011 4th-round pick (#108 overall) in 2011
June 29, 2011	To Columbus Blue Jackets James Wisniewski (negotiating rights)	To Montreal Canadiens Conditional 5th-round pick in 2012
July 7, 2011	To Columbus Blue Jackets Ryan Russell	To Montreal Canadiens Michael Blunden
July 15, 2011	To Anaheim Ducks Mathieu Carle	To Montreal Canadiens Mark Mitera
October 23, 2011	To Phoenix Coyotes Brock Trotter 7th-round pick in 2012	To Montreal Canadiens Petteri Nokelainen Garrett Stafford
December 9, 2011	To Carolina Hurricanes Jaroslav Spacek	To Montreal Canadiens Tomas Kaberle
January 12, 2012	To Calgary Flames Michael Cammalleri Karri Ramo 5th-round pick in 2012	To Montreal Canadiens Rene Bourque Patrick Holland 2nd-round pick in 2013
February 17, 2012	To Nashville Predators Hal Gill Conditional 5th-round pick in 2013	To Montreal Canadiens Blake Geoffrion Robert Slaney 2nd-round pick in 2012
February 27, 2012	To Nashville Predators Andrei Kostitsyn	To Montreal Canadiens 2nd-round pick in 2013 Cancellation of Conditional 5th-round pick in 2013

Free agents acquired Player Former team Contract terms Raphael Diaz EV Zug 1 year, $900,000 Peter Budaj Colorado Avalanche 2 years, $2.3 million Erik Cole Carolina Hurricanes 4 years, $18 million Brock Trotter Dinamo Riga 1 year, $550,000 Peter Delmas Wheeling Nailers 3 years, $1.825 million entry-level contract Nathan Lawson New York Islanders 1 year, $525,000 Brian Willsie Washington Capitals 1 year, $600,000 Jeff Woywitka Dallas Stars 1 year, $650,000 Chris Campoli Chicago Blackhawks 1 year, $1.75 million Joe Callahan Florida Panthers 1 year, $550,000

Free agents lost Player New team Contract terms Dustin Boyd Barys Astana undisclosed Nigel Dawes Barys Astana undisclosed Kyle Klubertanz Djurgardens IF 2 years Jeff Halpern Washington Capitals 1 year, $875,000 J.T. Wyman Tampa Bay Lightning 1 year, $525,000 Roman Hamrlik Washington Capitals 2 years, $7 million Benoit Pouliot Boston Bruins 1 year, $1.1 million Alex Auld Ottawa Senators 1 year, $1 million Alexandre Picard Pittsburgh Penguins 1 year, $600,000 Tom Pyatt Tampa Bay Lightning 1 year, $525,000 Drew MacIntyre Buffalo Sabres 1 year, $525,000 Brent Sopel Metallurg Novokuznetsk 2 years

Claimed via waivers Player Former team Date claimed off waivers +Blair Betts Philadelphia Flyers October 5, 2011 Brad Staubitz Minnesota Wild February 27, 2012

+On October 9, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman allowed the Montreal Canadiens to cancel the waiver claim on Betts and return him to the Philadelphia Flyers, as he had failed a physical due to an undisclosed injury which he had prior to being claimed.

Lost via waivers

Player	New team	Date claimed off waivers
Jeff Woywitka	New York Rangers	October 6, 2011

Player signings

Player	Date	Contract terms
Alexsey Emelin	May 17, 2011	1 year, $984,200 entry-level contract
Joonas Nattinen	May 26, 2011	3 years, $1.895 million, entry-level contract
Hal Gill	May 31, 2011	1 year, $2.25 million
Andrei Kostitsyn	June 9, 2011	1 year, $3.25 million
Mathieu Darche	June 10, 2011	1 year, $700,000
Max Pacioretty	June 20, 2011	2 years, $3.25 million
David Desharnais	June 20, 2011	2 years, $1.7 million
Andrei Markov	June 23, 2011	3 years, $17.25 million
Yannick Weber	June 29, 2011	2 years, $1.7 million
Ryan White	July 13, 2011	1 year, $625,000
Frederic St-Denis	July 15, 2011	1 year, $605,000
Josh Gorges	July 22, 2011	1 year, $2.5 million
Jarred Tinordi	November 2, 2011	3 years, $2.7 million entry-level contract
Brendan Gallagher	November 16, 2011	3 years, $2.145 million entry-level contract
Michael Bournival	December 21, 2011	3 years, $2.07 million entry-level contract
Josh Gorges	January 1, 2012	6 years, $23.4 million contract extension
Morgan Ellis	March 1, 2012	3 years, $1.92 million entry-level contract
Patrick Holland	March 7, 2012	3 years, $1.92 million entry-level contract
Greg Pateryn	March 28, 2012	2 years, $1.325 million entry-level contract
Nathan Beaulieu	March 30, 2012	3 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract

Draft picks

Montreal's picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/junior/club team (league)
1	17	Nathan Beaulieu	Defence	Canada	Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
4	97 (from Winnipeg)	Josiah Didier	Defence	United States	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
4	108 (from Winnipeg)	Oliver Archambault	Left Wing	Canada	Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL)
4	113 (from Anaheim)	Magnus Nygren	Defence	Sweden	Farjestads BK (SEL)
5	138	Darren Dietz	Defence	Canada	Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
6	168	Daniel Pribyl	Center	Czech Republic	Sparta Jr. (CZREP-JR.)
7	198	Colin Sullivan	Defence	United States	Avon Old Farms (USHS-MA)

See also

• 2011–12 NHL season