2015–16 Chicago Blackhawks season
| 2015–16 Chicago Blackhawks | |
|---|---|
| Division | 3rd Central |
| Conference | 3rd Western |
| 2015–16 record | 47–26–9 |
| Home record | 26–11–4 |
| Road record | 21–15–5 |
| Goals for | 235 |
| Goals against | 209 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Stan Bowman |
| Coach | Joel Quenneville |
| Captain | Jonathan Toews |
| Alternate captains |
Duncan Keith Brent Seabrook |
| Arena | United Center |
| Average attendance | 21,859 (110.9%) Total: 896,240 |
| Minor league affiliate(s) |
Rockford IceHogs (AHL) Indy Fuel (ECHL) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Patrick Kane (46) |
| Assists | Patrick Kane (60) |
| Points | Patrick Kane (106) |
| Penalties in minutes | Andrew Shaw (69) |
| Plus/minus |
(+): Patrick Kane (+17) (–): Andrew Desjardins (–8) |
| Wins | Corey Crawford (35) |
| Goals against average | Michael Leighton (1.54) |
The 2015–16 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 90th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. They entered the season as defending Stanley Cup champions. The Blackhawks finished the season with a 47–26–9 record and qualified for the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the #3 seed in the Central Division. They lost in the first round to the St. Louis Blues, 4 games to 3.
The Blackhawks faced an offseason 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 to the New York Rangers in exchange for AHL forward Ryan Haggerty. Two days after the trade, defenseman David Rundblad received a 2-year, $2 million contract extension on June 29.
The Blackhawks attempted to negotiate a contract for restricted free agent winger Brandon Saad who was a restricted free agent, but were unsuccessful. Unlikely to match any sizeable offer sheets due to cap constraints, Chicago struck a trade Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Chicago sent Saad and prospects Michael Paliotta and Alex Broadhurst 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 5-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.
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