2021–22 Montreal Canadiens season

The 2021–22 Montreal Canadiens season was the 113th for the club that was established on December 4, 1909, and their 105th season as a franchise in the National Hockey League.

2021–22 Montreal Canadiens
Division	8th Atlantic
Conference	16th Eastern
2021–22 record	22–49–11
Home record	11–26–4
Road record	11–23–7
Goals for	221
Goals against	319
Team information
General manager	Marc Bergevin (Oct. 13 – Nov. 28)[1] Kent Hughes (Jan. 18 – Apr. 29)[2]
Coach	Dominique Ducharme (Oct. 13 – Feb. 9)[3] Martin St. Louis (interim, Feb. 9 – Apr. 29)[4]
Captain	Shea Weber
Alternate captains	Paul Byron Ben Chiarot (Oct. 13 – Mar. 16) Brendan Gallagher Jeff Petry Nick Suzuki Tyler Toffoli (Oct. 13 – Feb. 14)
Arena	Bell Centre
Average attendance	17,170[5]
Minor league affiliate(s)	Laval Rocket (AHL) Trois-Rivières Lions (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Cole Caufield (23)
Assists	Nick Suzuki (40)
Points	Nick Suzuki (61)
Penalty minutes	Michael Pezzetta (81)
Plus/minus	Jordan Harris Sami Niku (+3)
Wins	Jake Allen (9)
Goals against average	Andrew Hammond (2.40)
← 2020–21 2022–23 →

The Canadiens were unable to replicate their success from the prior season that saw them reach the Stanley Cup Finals, whereas on March 25, 2022, they became the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention following the Washington Capitals' 4–3 shootout victory over the Buffalo Sabres.^[6]

Ultimately, the Canadiens finished last in the league for the first time since the 1939–40 season and the first time in the NHL's expansion era, in what was one of the worst seasons in the team's history.^[7][8][9] Collectively, they set team records for most regulation losses (49), most goals against (319), fewest wins (22),^[10] and fewest points (55),^[10] while its .335 point percentage was third-worst in franchise history, after only both the 1925–26 (.319) and 1939–40 (.260) campaigns. As a result of this, Montreal won the draft lottery to select first overall in the NHL entry draft for the first time in 42 years.^[11] The Canadiens also became the first team since the 2002–03 Carolina Hurricanes to finish in last place in the NHL a year after making the Stanley Cup Finals.^[12] With a total of 720 man-games lost, the team likewise set an NHL record for most injuries in a season, which they would subsequently break the following season.^[13]

Standings

Divisional standings

Atlantic Division

Pos	Team v t e	GP	W	L	OTL	RW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	p – Florida Panthers	82	58	18	6	42	340	246	+94	122
2	x – Toronto Maple Leafs	82	54	21	7	45	315	253	+62	115
3	x – Tampa Bay Lightning	82	51	23	8	39	287	233	+54	110
4	x – Boston Bruins	82	51	26	5	40	255	220	+35	107
5	Buffalo Sabres	82	32	39	11	25	232	290	−58	75
6	Detroit Red Wings	82	32	40	10	21	230	312	−82	74
7	Ottawa Senators	82	33	42	7	26	227	266	−39	73
8	Montreal Canadiens	82	22	49	11	16	221	319	−98	55

Source: National Hockey League^[14]
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy; x – Clinched playoff spot

Conference standings

Eastern Conference Wild Card

Pos	Div	Team v t e	GP	W	L	OTL	RW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	AT	x – Boston Bruins	82	51	26	5	40	255	220	+35	107
2	ME	x – Washington Capitals	82	44	26	12	35	275	245	+30	100
3	ME	New York Islanders	82	37	35	10	34	231	237	−6	84
4	ME	Columbus Blue Jackets	82	37	38	7	26	262	300	−38	81
5	AT	Buffalo Sabres	82	32	39	11	25	232	290	−58	75
6	AT	Detroit Red Wings	82	32	40	10	21	230	312	−82	74
7	AT	Ottawa Senators	82	33	42	7	26	227	266	−39	73
8	ME	New Jersey Devils	82	27	46	9	19	248	307	−59	63
9	ME	Philadelphia Flyers	82	25	46	11	20	211	298	−87	61
10	AT	Montreal Canadiens	82	22	49	11	16	221	319	−98	55

Source: National Hockey League^[15]
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
x – Clinched playoff spot

Schedule and results

Preseason

2021 preseason game log: 2–3–1 (home: 2–0–1; road: 0–3–0)
#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 25	Montreal	4–1	Toronto		Primeau	—	0–1–0	[16]
2	September 27	Toronto	2–5	Montreal		Allen	7,500	1–1–0	[17]
3	October 1	Montreal	2–7	Ottawa		Allen	—	1–2–0	[18]
4	October 2	Ottawa	1–2	Montreal		Primeau	7,500	2–2–0	[19]
5	October 5	Montreal	2–6	Toronto		Montembeault	—	2–3–0	[20]
6	October 7	Ottawa	5–4	Montreal	SO	Allen	7,500	2–3–1	[21]

Regular season

The regular season schedule was released on July 22, 2021.^[22]

2021–22 game log
October: 2–8–0 (home: 1–3–0; road: 1–5–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 13 Montreal 1–2 Toronto Allen 18,493 0–1–0 0 [23] 2 October 14 Montreal 1–5 Buffalo Montembeault 8,467 0–2–0 0 [24] 3 October 16 NY Rangers 3–1 Montreal Allen 21,105 0–3–0 0 [25] 4 October 19 San Jose 5–0 Montreal Allen 16,095 0–4–0 0 [26] 5 October 21 Carolina 4–1 Montreal Allen 19,174 0–5–0 0 [27] 6 October 23 Detroit 1–6 Montreal Allen 19,706 1–5–0 2 [28] 7 October 26 Montreal 1–5 Seattle Allen 17,151 1–6–0 2 [29] 8 October 28 Montreal 4–0 San Jose Allen 11,463 2–6–0 4 [30] 9 October 30 Montreal 2–5 Los Angeles Allen 12,785 2–7–0 4 [31] 10 October 31 Montreal 2–4 Anaheim Montembeault 11,652 2–8–0 4 [32]
November: 4–8–2 (home: 3–4–1; road: 1–4–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 11 November 2 Detroit 0–3 Montreal Allen 19,547 3–8–0 6 [33] 12 November 4 NY Islanders 6–2 Montreal Allen 19,924 3–9–0 6 [34] 13 November 6 Vegas 5–2 Montreal Allen 20,156 3–10–0 6 [35] 14 November 9 Los Angeles 3–2 Montreal OT Allen 20,042 3–10–1 7 [36] 15 November 11 Calgary 2–4 Montreal Allen 20,399 4–10–1 9 [37] 16 November 13 Montreal 2–3 Detroit OT Montembeault 18,076 4–10–2 10 [38] 17 November 14 Montreal 2–5 Boston Montembeault 17,850 4–11–2 10 [39] 18 November 16 Montreal 2–3 NY Rangers Primeau 15,255 4–12–2 10 [40] 19 November 18 Pittsburgh 6–0 Montreal Primeau 20,712 4–13–2 10 [41] 20 November 20 Nashville 3–6 Montreal Montembeault 20,522 5–13–2 12 [42] 21 November 24 Montreal 3–6 Washington Allen 18,573 5–14–2 12 [43] 22 November 26 Montreal 1–4 Buffalo Montembeault 9,958 5–15–2 12 [44] 23 November 27 Montreal 6–3 Pittsburgh Allen 17,985 6–15–2 14 [45] 24 November 29 Vancouver 2–1 Montreal Allen 20,478 6–16–2 14 [46]
December: 1–6–2 (home: 1–3–0; road: 0–3–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 25 December 2 Colorado 4–1 Montreal Allen 20,092 6–17–2 14 [47] 26 December 4 Montreal 3–4 Nashville OT Allen 17,159 6–17–3 15 [48] 27 December 7 Tampa Bay 3–2 Montreal Allen 19,976 6–18–3 15 [49] 28 December 9 Chicago 2–0 Montreal Allen 20,447 6–19–3 15 [50] 29 December 11 Montreal 1–4 St. Louis Allen 16,829 6–20–3 15 [51] 30 December 14 Montreal 2–5 Pittsburgh Allen 17,005 6–21–3 15 [52] 31 December 16 Philadelphia 2–3 Montreal SO Primeau 0 7–21–3 17 [53] — December 18 Boston – Montreal Postponed due to COVID-19.[54] — December 20 Montreal – NY Islanders Postponed due to COVID-19.[55] — December 22 Montreal – NY Rangers Postponed due to COVID-19.[56] — December 23 Montreal – New Jersey Postponed due to COVID-19.[57] 32 December 28 Montreal 4–5 Tampa Bay OT Montembeault 19,092 7–21–4 18 [58] 33 December 30 Montreal 0–4 Carolina Montembeault 17,722 7–22–4 18 [59]
January: 1–7–3 (home: 0–3–0; road: 1–4–3) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 34 January 1 Montreal 2–5 Florida Montembeault 13,584 7–23–4 18 [60] — January 4 Washington – Montreal Postponed due to COVID-19. — January 6 Toronto – Montreal Postponed due to COVID-19. — January 8 Buffalo – Montreal Postponed due to COVID-19. — January 10 Columbus – Montreal Postponed due to COVID-19. 35 January 12 Montreal 1–5 Boston Allen 17,850 7–24–4 18 [61] 36 January 13 Montreal 2–3 Chicago OT Montembeault 17,472 7–24–5 19 [62] — January 15 New Jersey – Montreal Postponed due to COVID-19.[63] 37 January 17 Montreal 2–5 Arizona Primeau 9,495 7–25–5 19 [64] 38 January 18 Montreal 5–3 Dallas Montembeault 17,679 8–25–5 21 [65] 39 January 20 Montreal 3–4 Vegas OT Montembeault 18,121 8–25–6 22 [66] 40 January 22 Montreal 2–3 Colorado OT Primeau 17,646 8–25–7 23 [67] 41 January 24 Montreal 2–8 Minnesota Primeau 18,104 8–26–7 23 [68] 42 January 27 Anaheim 5–4 Montreal Montembeault 0 8–27–7 23 [69] 43 January 29 Edmonton 7–2 Montreal Montembeault 0 8–28–7 23 [70] 44 January 30 Columbus 6–3 Montreal Primeau 0 8–29–7 23 [71]
February: 5–4–0 (home: 3–4–0; road: 2–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 45 February 8 New Jersey 7–1 Montreal Primeau 500 8–30–7 23 [72] 46 February 10 Washington 5–2 Montreal Primeau 500 8–31–7 23 [73] 47 February 12 Columbus 2–1 Montreal Montembeault 500 8–32–7 23 [74] 48 February 13 Buffalo 5–3 Montreal Montembeault 500 8–33–7 23 [75] 49 February 17 St. Louis 2–3 Montreal OT Montembeault 500 9–33–7 25 [76] 50 February 20 Montreal 3–2 NY Islanders SO Hammond 17,255 10–33–7 27 [77] 51 February 21 Toronto 2–5 Montreal Montembeault 10,552 11–33–7 29 [78] 52 February 23 Buffalo 0–4 Montreal Montembeault 10,552 12–33–7 31 [79] 53 February 26 Montreal 2–1 Ottawa Hammond 9,958 13–33–7 33 [80]
March: 5–6–4 (home: 2–2–3; road: 3–4–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 54 March 1 Montreal 4–8 Winnipeg Montembeault 13,816 13–34–7 33 [81] 55 March 3 Montreal 5–4 Calgary OT Hammond 16,288 14–34–7 35 [82] 56 March 5 Montreal 5–2 Edmonton Montembeault 18,258 15–34–7 37 [83] 57 March 9 Montreal 3–5 Vancouver Montembeault 18,645 15–35–7 37 [84] 58 March 12 Seattle 4–3 Montreal SO Montembeault 20,608 15–35–8 38 [85] 59 March 13 Montreal 4–3 Philadelphia OT Montembeault 15,451 16–35–8 40 [86] 60 March 15 Arizona 6–3 Montreal Montembeault 20,532 16–36–8 40 [87] 61 March 17 Dallas 4–3 Montreal OT Allen 20,714 16–36–9 41 [88] 62 March 19 Ottawa 1–5 Montreal Allen 21,105 17–36–9 43 [89] 63 March 21 Boston 3–2 Montreal OT Allen 20,922 17–36–10 44 [90] 64 March 24 Florida 4–3 Montreal Allen 20,788 17–37–10 44 [91] 65 March 26 Toronto 2–4 Montreal Allen 21,105 18–37–10 46 [92] 66 March 27 Montreal 2–3 New Jersey SO Montembeault 12,080 18–37–11 47 [93] 67 March 29 Montreal 4–7 Florida Allen 15,587 18–38–11 47 [94] 68 March 31 Montreal 0–4 Carolina Allen 15,289 18–39–11 47 [95]
April: 4–10–0 (home: 1–7–0; road: 3–3–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 69 April 2 Montreal 5–4 Tampa Bay SO Allen 19,092 19–39–11 49 [96] 70 April 5 Ottawa 6–3 Montreal Allen 20,566 19–40–11 49 [97] 71 April 7 Montreal 7–4 New Jersey Allen 10,435 20–40–11 51 [98] 72 April 9 Montreal 2–3 Toronto Montembeault 19,113 20–41–11 51 [99] 73 April 11 Winnipeg 4–2 Montreal Montembeault 20,728 20–42–11 51 [100] 74 April 13 Montreal 1–5 Columbus Montembeault 16,708 20–43–11 51 [101] 75 April 15 NY Islanders 3–0 Montreal Price 21,105 20–44–11 51 [102] 76 April 16 Washington 8–4 Montreal Montembeault 21,105 20–45–11 51 [103] 77 April 19 Minnesota 2–0 Montreal Price 20,725 20–46–11 51 [104] 78 April 21 Philadelphia 6–3 Montreal Price 21,105 20–47–11 51 [105] 79 April 23 Montreal 4–6 Ottawa Price 19,410 20–48–11 51 [106] 80 April 24 Boston 5–3 Montreal Montembeault 21,105 20–49–11 51 [107] 81 April 27 Montreal 4–3 NY Rangers Montembeault 16,845 21–49–11 53 [108] 82 April 29 Florida 2–10 Montreal Price 21,105 22–49–11 55 [109]
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Player statistics

Final stats

Skaters

Regular season^[110]

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
Nick Suzuki	82	21	40	61	−29	30
Cole Caufield	67	23	20	43	−24	10
Mike Hoffman	67	15	20	35	−24	32
Christian Dvorak	56	11	22	33	−19	24
Josh Anderson	69	19	13	32	−25	65
Artturi Lehkonen‡	58	13	16	29	0	14
Jake Evans	72	13	16	29	−5	22
Jeff Petry	68	6	21	27	−11	36
Chris Wideman	64	4	23	27	−25	67
Tyler Toffoli‡	37	9	17	26	−8	4
Rem Pitlick†	46	9	17	26	−9	12
Brendan Gallagher	56	7	17	24	−7	69
Jonathan Drouin	34	6	14	20	−9	23
Ben Chiarot‡	54	7	11	18	−18	42
Ryan Poehling	57	9	8	17	−21	6
David Savard	62	3	14	17	−22	36
Joel Armia	60	6	8	14	−15	14
Brett Kulak‡	56	3	10	13	−10	33
Alexander Romanov	79	3	10	13	−9	53
Laurent Dauphin	38	4	8	12	−10	25
Michael Pezzetta	51	5	6	11	−7	81
Mathieu Perreault	25	4	5	9	+2	4
Paul Byron	27	4	3	7	−8	2
Joel Edmundson	24	3	3	6	−1	35
Corey Schueneman	24	2	4	6	−5	8
Sami Niku	13	0	6	6	+3	2
Kale Clague†	25	2	3	5	−8	18
Jesse Ylonen	14	2	3	5	+2	2
Tyler Pitlick†	14	1	2	3	−6	4
Justin Barron†	5	1	1	2	−2	0
Cedric Paquette	24	0	2	2	−6	25
Lukas Vejdemo	6	1	0	1	−3	0
Jordan Harris	10	1	0	1	+3	8
Rafael Harvey-Pinard	4	1	0	1	−2	0
William Lagesson†	3	0	1	1	+2	0
Adam Brooks‡	4	0	1	1	−1	0
Mattias Norlinder	6	0	1	1	+2	2
Alex Belzile	11	0	0	0	0	4
Brandon Baddock‡	1	0	0	0	0	0
Cameron Hillis	1	0	0	0	0	0

Goaltenders

Regular season^[111]

Player	GP	GS	TOI	W	L	OT	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Jake Allen	35	35	1,947:40	9	20	4	107	3.30	1,123	.905	2	0	0	2
Sam Montembeault	38	30	1,942:49	8	18	6	122	3.77	1,124	.891	1	0	0	0
Andrew Hammond‡	4	3	200:10	3	0	0	8	2.40	100	.920	0	0	0	0
Carey Price	5	5	297:30	1	4	0	18	3.63	148	.878	0	0	0	0
Cayden Primeau	12	9	519:13	1	7	1	40	4.62	302	.868	0	0	0	0
Michael McNiven‡	1	0	20:00	0	0	0	3	9.00	7	.571	0	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.

Suspensions/fines

Player	Explanation	Length	Salary	Date issued	Ref
Cedric Paquette	Boarding Ducks forward Trevor Zegras	2 games	$9,500.00	November 1, 2021	[112]
Brendan Gallagher	Roughing Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow	N/A	$2,500.00	November 17, 2021	[113]
Chris Wideman	Head-butting Bruins forward Erik Haula	1 game	$3,750.00	January 13, 2022	[114]
Jonathan Drouin	Cross-checking Stars forward Tyler Seguin	N/A	$5,000.00	January 19, 2022	[115]
Michael Pezzetta	Illegal check to the head of Capitals forward T.J. Oshie	2 games	$7,500.00	April 18, 2022	[116]

Awards and honours

Awards

Regular season

Player	Award	Awarded	Ref
Nick Suzuki	NHL All-Star Game selection	January 13, 2022	[117]
Cole Caufield	NHL Rookie of the Month	April 1, 2022	[118]
Carey Price	Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy	June 1, 2022	[119]

Milestones

Regular Season Player Milestone Reached Ref Jonathan Drouin 400th career NHL game October 26, 2021 [120] Michael Pezzetta 1st career NHL game November 2, 2021 [121] Mike Hoffman 400th career NHL point November 6, 2021 [122] Michael Pezzetta 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point November 13, 2021 [123] Michael Pezzetta 1st career NHL goal November 14, 2021 [124] Brendan Gallagher 600th career NHL game November 18, 2021 [125] Mattias Norlinder 1st career NHL game November 18, 2021 [126] Mattias Norlinder 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point November 27, 2021 [127] Tyler Toffoli 600th career NHL game November 27, 2021 [128] Chris Wideman 200th career NHL game December 4, 2021 [129] Nick Suzuki 100th career NHL point December 7, 2021 [130] Jesse Ylonen 1st career NHL goal 1st career NHL point December 14, 2021 [131] Kale Clague 1st career NHL goal December 28, 2021 [132] Rafael Harvey-Pinard 1st career NHL game 1st career NHL goal 1st career NHL point December 28, 2021 [132] Corey Schueneman 1st career NHL game 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point December 28, 2021 [132] Brandon Baddock 1st career NHL game December 30, 2021 [133] Cameron Hillis 1st career NHL game January 1, 2022 [134] Jesse Ylonen 1st career NHL assist January 1, 2022 [135] Ben Chiarot 100th career NHL point January 13, 2022 [136] Michael McNiven 1st career NHL game January 24, 2022 [137] Jeff Petry 300th career NHL point January 24, 2022 [137] Brett Kulak 300th career NHL game February 10, 2022 [138] Jake Evans 100th career NHL game February 13, 2022 [139] Paul Byron 500th career NHL game February 17, 2022 [140] Alexander Romanov 100th career NHL game February 17, 2022 [140] Samuel Montembeault 1st career NHL shutout February 23, 2022 [141] Josh Anderson 1st career NHL hat-trick March 1, 2022 [142] Mike Hoffman 200th career NHL goal March 5, 2022 [143] Mathieu Perreault 700th career NHL game March 5, 2022 [143] Corey Schueneman 1st career NHL goal March 17, 2022 [144] Joel Edmundson 400th career NHL game March 27, 2022 [145] Justin Barron 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point March 29, 2022 [146] Jordan Harris 1st career NHL game April 2, 2022 [147] Justin Barron 1st career NHL goal April 5, 2022 [148] Mike Hoffman 600th career NHL game April 5, 2022 [148] Josh Anderson 100th career NHL goal April 11, 2022 [149] Nick Suzuki 200th career NHL game April 11, 2022 [149] Jeff Petry 800th career NHL game April 23, 2022 [150] Christian Dvorak 100th career NHL assist April 27, 2022 [151] Cole Caufield 1st career NHL hat-trick April 29, 2022 [152] Jordan Harris 1st career NHL goal 1st career NHL point April 29, 2022 [152]

Transactions

The Canadiens have been involved in the following transactions during the 2021–22 season.

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
July 24, 2021 (2021-07-24)	To Anaheim Ducks CHI's 3rd-round pick in 20211	To Montreal Canadiens 3rd-round pick in 2022	[153]
July 24, 2021 (2021-07-24)	To Tampa Bay Lightning VGK's 4th-round pick in 20212	To Montreal Canadiens 4th-round pick in 2022	[154]
July 24, 2021 (2021-07-24)	To Minnesota Wild 4th-round pick in 2021	To Montreal Canadiens 5th-round pick in 2021 7th-round pick in 2021	[155]
July 24, 2021 (2021-07-24)	To Arizona Coyotes 7th-round pick in 2021	To Montreal Canadiens STL's 7th-round pick in 20223	[156]
September 4, 2021 (2021-09-04)	To Arizona Coyotes Conditional 1st-round pick in 20224 2nd-round pick in 2024	To Montreal Canadiens Christian Dvorak	[157]
February 12, 2022 (2022-02-12)	To Minnesota Wild Brandon Baddock	To Montreal Canadiens Andrew Hammond	[158]
February 14, 2022 (2022-02-14)	To Calgary Flames Tyler Toffoli	To Montreal Canadiens Tyler Pitlick Emil Heineman Conditional 1st-round pick in 20225 5th-round pick in 2023	[159]
March 2, 2022 (2022-03-02)	To Calgary Flames Michael McNiven	To Montreal Canadiens Future considerations	[160]
March 16, 2022 (2022-03-16)	To Florida Panthers Ben Chiarot6	To Montreal Canadiens Conditional 1st-round pick in 20237 NYR's 4th-round pick in 20228 Ty Smilanic	[161]
March 21, 2022 (2022-03-21)	To Edmonton Oilers Brett Kulak9	To Montreal Canadiens William Lagesson Conditional 2nd-round pick in 202210 7th-round pick in 2024	[162]
March 21, 2022 (2022-03-21)	To Colorado Avalanche Artturi Lehkonen11	To Montreal Canadiens Justin Barron 2nd-round pick in 2024	[163]
March 21, 2022 (2022-03-21)	To New Jersey Devils Andrew Hammond	To Montreal Canadiens Nate Schnarr	[164]
June 16, 2022 (2022-06-16)	To Vegas Golden Knights Shea Weber	To Montreal Canadiens Evgenii Dadonov	[165]

Notes

1. The Chicago Blackhawks' third-round pick went to the Anaheim Ducks as the result of a trade on July 24, 2021, that sent a third-round pick in 2022 to Montreal in exchange for this pick.^[166]

   Montreal previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on June 30, 2019, that sent Andrew Shaw and a seventh-round pick in 2021 to Chicago in exchange for second and seventh-round picks both in 2020 and this pick.^[167]

2. The Vegas Golden Knights' fourth-round pick went to the Tampa Bay Lightning as the result of a trade on July 24, 2021, that sent a fourth-round pick in 2022 to Montreal in exchange for this pick.^[166]

   Montreal previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on February 24, 2020, that sent Nick Cousins to Vegas in exchange for this pick.^[168]

3. The St. Louis Blues' seventh-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on July 24, 2021, that sent a seventh-round pick in 2021 to Arizona in exchange for this pick.

   Arizona previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on July 22, 2021, that sent future considerations to Philadelphia in exchange for Shayne Gostisbehere, a second-round pick in 2022, and this pick.^[169]

   Philadelphia previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on April 12, 2021, that sent Erik Gustafsson to Montreal in exchange for this pick.^[170]

   Montreal previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on September 2, 2020, that sent Washington's third-round pick and Chicago's seventh-round pick both in 2020 to St. Louis in exchange for Jake Allen and this pick.^[171]

4. The Arizona Coyotes will receive the better of Montreal's own first-round pick in 2022 and Carolina's first-round pick in 2022 (previously acquired by Montreal). However, in the event that either or both of Montreal's own first-round pick and/or Carolina's first-round pick are top 10 picks (after the final draft order has been established in accordance with the results of the 2022 NHL draft lottery), then Arizona will receive the worse of Montreal's own pick and Carolina's pick.
5. If the Calgary Flames' first-round pick in 2022 is a top 10 pick, Montreal will instead receive their 2023 first-round pick along with a 2024 fourth-round pick – was not converted when the Flames qualified for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 16, 2022.
6. Montreal will retain 50% of Chiarot's salary for the remainder of the 2021–22 season.
7. Montreal will receive a first-round pick in 2023 if Florida's first-round pick in 2022 is outside of the top 10^[172] – was converted when the Panthers qualified for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 3, 2022.^[173]
8. The New York Rangers' fourth-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on March 16, 2022, that sent Ben Chiarot to Florida in exchange for Ty Smilanic, a conditional first-round pick in 2023 and this pick being conditional at the time of the trade).^[174] The condition – Montreal will receive the lowest of the Rangers' or Jets' fourth-round pick in 2022.^[175][174] – was converted when the Rangers clinched a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 9, 2022, and when the Jets were eliminated from the playoffs on April 20, 2022.

   Florida previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on March 16, 2022, that sent Frank Vatrano to New York in exchange for this conditional pick.^[176]

9. Montreal will retain 50% of Kulak's salary for the remainder of the 2021–22 season.
10. If the Edmonton Oilers reach the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals, the pick will instead become a 2nd-round selection in 2023 – was not converted following the Oilers' playoff elimination versus the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final on June 6, 2022.
11. Montreal will retain 50% of Lehkonen's salary for the remainder of the 2021–22 season.

Players acquired

Date	Player	Former team (League)	Term	Via	Ref
July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28)	Louie Belpedio	Minnesota Wild	1-year	Free agency	[177]
	Jean-Sebastien Dea	Buffalo Sabres	1-year	Free agency	[178]
	Mike Hoffman	St. Louis Blues	3-year	Free agency	[179]
	Cedric Paquette	Carolina Hurricanes	1-year	Free agency	[180]
	David Savard	Tampa Bay Lightning	4-year	Free agency	[181]
	Chris Wideman	Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo (KHL)	1-year	Free agency	[182]
July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29)	Mathieu Perreault	Winnipeg Jets	1-year	Free agency	[183]
September 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)	Sami Niku	Winnipeg Jets	1-year	Free agency	[184]
October 2, 2021 (2021-10-02)	Sam Montembeault	Florida Panthers		Waivers	[185]
October 4, 2021 (2021-10-04)	Arber Xhekaj	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)	3-year	Free agency	[186]
October 11, 2021 (2021-10-11)	Adam Brooks	Toronto Maple Leafs		Waivers	[187]
December 4, 2021 (2021-12-04)	Kale Clague	Los Angeles Kings		Waivers	[188]
January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)	Rem Pitlick	Minnesota Wild		Waivers	[189]
March 31, 2022 (2022-03-31)	Lucas Condotta	University of Massachusetts Lowell (HE)	1-year	Free agency	[190]
June 14, 2022 (2022-06-14)	Otto Leskinen	Tappara (Liiga)	1-year	Free-agency	[191]

Players lost

Date	Player	New team (League)	Term	Via	Ref
July 13, 2021 (2021-07-13)	Jordan Weal	Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)	2-year	Free agency	[192]
July 16, 2021 (2021-07-16)	Jake Lucchini	Laval Rocket (AHL)	1-year	Free agency	[193]
July 21, 2021 (2021-07-21)	Cale Fleury	Seattle Kraken		Expansion draft	[194]
July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28)	Phillip Danault	Los Angeles Kings	6-year	Free agency	[195]
July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29)	Charlie Lindgren	St. Louis Blues	1-year	Free agency	[196]
	Jon Merrill	Minnesota Wild	1-year	Free agency	[197]
	Corey Perry	Tampa Bay Lightning	2-year	Free agency	[198]
August 5, 2021 (2021-08-05)	Tomas Tatar	New Jersey Devils	2-year	Free agency	[199]
August 25, 2021 (2021-08-25)	Gustav Olofsson	Seattle Kraken	1-year	Free agency	[200]
September 4, 2021 (2021-09-04)	Jesperi Kotkaniemi	Carolina Hurricanes	1-year	Free agency1	[201]
October 11, 2021 (2021-10-11)	Erik Gustafsson	Chicago Blackhawks	1-year	Free agency	[202]
October 15, 2021 (2021-10-15)	Michael Frolik	Lausanne HC (NL)	2-year	Free agency	[203]
November 17, 2021 (2021-11-17)	Adam Brooks	Vegas Golden Knights		Waivers	[204]
December 9, 2021 (2021-12-09)	Arsen Khisamutdinov			Mutual termination	[205]
December 18, 2021 (2021-12-18)	Arsen Khisamutdinov	Dinamo Riga (KHL)	2-year	Free agency	[206]
March 4, 2022 (2022-03-04)	Joseph Blandisi	Toronto Marlies (AHL)	1-year	Free agency2	[207]

Notes

1. As compensation for not matching the Offer Sheet made by the Carolina Hurricanes to restricted free agent Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Montreal receives a 1st-round and a 3rd-round pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft from Carolina.
2. Blandisi originally signed a Professional Tryout contract with the Toronto Marlies on December 14, 2021, prior to inking an AHL contract thereafter.

Signings

Date	Player	Term	Contract type	Ref
July 15, 2021 (2021-07-15)	Alex Belzile	1-year	Re-signing	[208]
July 27, 2021 (2021-07-27)	Joel Armia	4-year	Re-signing	[209]
July 31, 2021 (2021-07-31)	Artturi Lehkonen	1-year	Re-signing	[210]
August 5, 2021 (2021-08-05)	Michael Pezzetta	1-year	Re-signing	[211]
August 6, 2021 (2021-08-06)	Michael McNiven	1-year	Re-signing	[212]
August 27, 2021 (2021-08-27)	Ryan Poehling	2-year	Re-signing	[213]
October 3, 2021 (2021-10-03)	Jake Evans	3-year	Re-signing	[214]
October 12, 2021 (2021-10-12)	Nick Suzuki	8-year	Re-signing	[215]
March 26, 2022 (2022-03-26)	Jordan Harris	2-year	Entry-level	[216]
March 30, 2022 (2022-03-30)	Joshua Roy	3-year	Entry-level	[217]
April 4, 2022 (2022-04-04)	Emil Heineman	3-year	Entry-level	[218]
May 4, 2022 (2022-05-04)	Riley Kidney	3-year	Entry-level	[219]
June 6, 2022 (2022-06-06)	Chris Wideman	2-year	Re-signing	[220]

Draft picks

See also: List of Montreal Canadiens draft picks

Below are the Montreal Canadiens' selections at the 2021 NHL entry draft, which was held on July 23 to 24, 2021. It was held virtually via video conference call from the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Round	#	Player	Pos.	Nationality	Team (League)
1	31	Logan Mailloux	D	Canada	SK Lejon (Hockeyettan)
2	63	Riley Kidney	C	Canada	Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL)
2	641	Oliver Kapanen	C	Finland	KalPa U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
3	872	Dmitri Kostenko	D	Russia	Lada Togliatti (VHL)
4	1133	William Trudeau	D	Canada	Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)
5	1424	Daniil Sobolev	D	Russia	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
5	1505	Joshua Roy	RW	Canada	Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
6	191	Xavier Simoneau	C	Canada	Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
7	2146	Joe Vrbetic	G	Canada	North Bay Battalion (OHL)

Notes

1. The Tampa Bay Lightning's second-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on October 7, 2020, that sent St. Louis' second-round pick in 2020 (57th overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2020 (124th overall) and this pick.^[221]
2. The Washington Capitals' 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 (98th overall) to San Jose in exchange for this pick.^[222]

   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 2020 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).^[223] The condition – San Jose will receive a third-round pick in 2021 if Washington does not win the Stanley Cup in 2020^[223] – was converted when Washington was eliminated from the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs on August 20, 2020.^[224]

3. The St. Louis Blues' fourth-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on February 18, 2020, that sent Marco Scandella to St. Louis in exchange for a second-round pick in 2020 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).^[225] The condition – Montreal will receive a fourth-round pick in 2021 if Scandella re-signs with the Blues for the 2020–21 NHL season by October 7, 2020^[225] – was converted when Scandella re-signed with the Blues on April 16, 2020.^[226]
4. The Philadelphia Flyers' fifth-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on February 24, 2020, that sent Nate Thompson to Philadelphia in exchange for this pick.^[227]
5. The Minnesota Wild's fifth-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on July 24, 2021, that sent a fourth-round pick in 2021 (127th overall) to Minnesota in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2021 (214th overall) and this pick.^[228]
6. The Minnesota Wild's seventh-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on July 24, 2021, that sent a fourth-round pick in 2021 (127th overall) to Minnesota in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2021 (150th overall) and this pick.^[229]