2015–16 Calgary Flames season

The 2015–16 Calgary Flames season was the 36th season in Calgary and 44th in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Flames franchise. Coming off an unexpected run to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2014–15, and having acquired defenceman Dougie Hamilton and forward Michael Frolik in the off-season, the Flames were expected to again compete for a playoff spot in 2015–16. Instead, the team struggled. Calgary missed the playoffs and spent much of the season languishing near the bottom of the NHL standings. Defenceman Dennis Wideman had a difficult season individually as he became embroiled in controversy after striking linesman Don Henderson after himself suffering a concussion during a game. The NHL suspended Wideman for 20 games for abuse of an official, prompting a pair of appeals from the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA). The second appeal, to a neutral arbitrator, found that the suspension was excessive, and reduced it to ten games, though Wideman had already missed 19 contests when the ruling was made.

2015–16 Calgary Flames
Division	5th Pacific
Conference	12th Western
2015–16 record	35–40–7
Home record	21–16–4
Road record	14–24–3
Goals for	231
Goals against	260
Team information
General manager	Brad Treliving
Coach	Bob Hartley
Captain	Mark Giordano
Alternate captains	Sean Monahan Kris Russell (Oct–Feb) Dennis Wideman
Arena	Scotiabank Saddledome
Average attendance	19,145 (99.3%)
Minor league affiliate(s)	Stockton Heat (AHL) Adirondack Thunder (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Johnny Gaudreau (30)
Assists	Johnny Gaudreau (48)
Points	Johnny Gaudreau (78)
Penalty minutes	Brandon Bollig (103)
Plus/minus	Mikael Backlund (+10)
Wins	Karri Ramo (17)
Goals against average	Karri Ramo (2.63)

Off-season

Calgary entered the 2015 NHL Entry Draft holding the 15th overall selection in the first round, but sent that pick (along with a pair of second-rounders) to the Boston Bruins in exchange for 22-year-old defenceman Dougie Hamilton in a draft-day trade.[1] The acquisition of Hamilton solidified a Calgary defence that includes captain Mark Giordano, T. J. Brodie, Dennis Wideman and Kris Russell – all of whom scored at least 34 points in 2014–15 – and which The Hockey News called "one of the most complete" defensive units in the league.[2] The Flames added to their forward ranks on the first day of the free agent signing period by agreeing to a five-year, $21 million contract with Michael Frolik, formerly of the Winnipeg Jets.[3]

The Flames were widely predicted to be among the worst teams in the NHL in 2014–15. The team defied the predictions and reached the second round of the playoffs following a third-place finish in the Pacific Division. As a consequence of that season, Calgary entered 2015–16 with dramatically higher expectations.[4] The Hockey News predicted the Flames would again finish third in the Pacific, behind the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, and qualify for the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs.[2]

Regular season

October – December

The Flames began the season without T. J. Brodie, who suffered a broken hand during a pre-season game and was expected to miss as much as six weeks.[5] Injuries to Lance Bouma (leg),[6] and Micheal Ferland (knee), followed early in the season.[7] On the ice, the team struggled in October. The Flames lost their season and home opener 5–1 against the Vancouver Canucks on October 7.[8] Though the Flames defeated the Canucks in the return match-up three nights later, Calgary then lost 9 of their following 11 games to start the year with just three wins against nine regulation losses and an overtime loss.[9] The poor start forced the team into a position where they would have to make recent NHL history in order to qualify for the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs. No team since the introduction of the shootout in 2005–06 had qualified for the post-season after earning only seven or fewer points in their first 13 games.[10]

The Flames improved marginally in November, as the team won five of its following eight games, including all four played on home ice in the month. However, a late November road trip that ended in losses to the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks resulted in Calgary entering December with only eight wins and 18 points on the season.[9] The loss to the Ducks away in Anaheim was particularly frustrating for the team as they held 2–0 and 3–2 leads before dropping a 5–3 decision. It was the 21st consecutive regular season loss for the team at the Honda Center, a streak that dates back to January 19, 2004.[11] Much of the team's struggles were attributed to the Flames' poor special teams, as Calgary sat last in the NHL in both the Power play and on the penalty kill.[12] Consequently, the Flames sat dead last in the NHL standings by early December.[13]

A five-game home stand to begin December reversed the team's fortunes, as Calgary won all five games and ran their home ice winning streak to nine.[13] The Flames were led by their top players, as leading forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, as well as top defencemen Mark Giordano and T. J. Brodie, combined for 12 goals and 16 assists during the homestand.[13] The team's success was also driven by the team's prowess in the NHL's new three-on-three overtime format: The Flames won three games on the homestand in overtime (in addition to a shootout victory). The team's record in the overtime periods stood at a league-best seven wins in eight games decided in overtime, and Gaudreau led all NHL players in scoring with three goals and three assists.[14] Opening a four-game road trip against the Nashville Predators on December 15, the Flames again won in overtime, and Gaudreau again recorded a point as he assisted on Kris Russell's winning tally. The victory pulled the Flames' record back to the .500 mark at 14–14–2.[15] A 3–1 victory two nights later against the Dallas Stars elevated the team into a playoff position for the first time as they moved into third place in the Pacific Division.[16] Calgary's overall winning streak ended at seven games on December 19 as the team fell 3–2 to the St. Louis Blues before ending the road trip with a 4–2 loss against the Detroit Red Wings.[9] The Flames returned to the Saddledome for their final game before the Christmas break on December 22 and, led by Johnny Gaudreau's second hat trick of the season, defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4–1. It was Calgary's tenth consecutive win on home ice, which tied the franchise record set between November 7 and December 12, 2006.[17]

The Flames broke the team record on December 27, as they recorded their 11th-straight home win with a 5–3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.[18] Gaudreau scored two goals in the contest, and with five in two games, was named both the NHL's First Star of the Week for December 21–27,[19] and the league's First Star for the month of December.[20] The home winning streak came to an end on December 29, as the Anaheim Ducks defeated Calgary 1–0; it was the Flames' first home ice loss in two months.[21] Calgary ended the year with another home loss, on December 31 to the Los Angeles Kings.

January – February

The Flames opened the new year with victories over the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning before losing consecutive games to division rivals the Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks.[9] Calgary then scored a dominating 6–0 victory over the Florida Panthers on January 13; rookie Sam Bennett scored four goals in the contest. In so doing, he became the youngest player in Flames' history (19 years, six months) to record both a hat trick and a four-goal game, and the first Flame to score four since Jarome Iginla in 2003.[22] Bennett was named the league's Second Star for the week of January 11–17.[23] The Flames struggled for the rest of the month as they won only one game on a five-game road trip,[9] before returning home and losing to the Nashville Predators on January 27 in their final game before the All-Star break. With a record of 21–24–3. Calgary had fallen toward the bottom of the league standings.[24] As the team entered the break, the Flames had fallen to sixth in the division and 12th place in the conference, and head coach Bob Hartley lamented the team's inconsistent play.[25]

The Flames had two participants at the All-Star Game, played in Nashville: Mark Giordano and Johnny Gaudreau were named to the Pacific Division team and both played in their second consecutive All-Star Game.[26] The pair helped the Pacific Division team win the four-team mini tournament and share a $1 million prize.[27]

During the team's all-star break, the National Hockey League reviewed a controversial incident between defenceman Dennis Wideman and linesman Don Henderson in the Nashville game. Wideman was checked hard by an opposing player partway through the first period and, as he slowly skated back to the Flames bench, collided with Henderson then pushed off the official with an apparent crosscheck.[24] After the game, Wideman said he was distracted by pain in his neck and shoulder following the bodycheck he received and did not notice Henderson until it was too late to avoid a collision. The league reviewed the incident over the all-star break and, following a February 2 hearing, rejected Wideman's explanation and determined the collision was a deliberate abuse of an official. The league announced the following day that it had suspended Wideman for 20 games, the penalty described in the league rule book for "any player who deliberately strikes an official and causes injury or who deliberately applies physical force in any manner against an official with intent to injure". Wideman would also forfeit over $560,000 in salary due to the suspension.[28] Both the Flames and Wideman expressed their disappointment in the severity of the suspension, while the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) immediately appealed it on Wideman's behalf. The NHLPA argued Wideman had no intention of colliding with or harming Henderson, and pointed to "medical evidence" presented in the disciplinary hearing regarding Wideman's condition at the time of the incident.[29]

Further controversy arose for the Flames following the all-star break as Monahan, Gaudreau and Bouma were all held out of the lineup by head coach Bob Hartley for the team's February 9 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The trio were late for a team meeting the previous day, and were scratched from the Toronto game for disciplinary reasons.[30] The decision allowed defenceman Jakub Nakladal to make his NHL debut in the game, a 4–3 victory.[31] The trio returned to the lineup two nights later in a wild 6–5 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks, a game in which goaltender Karri Ramo suffered a serious left knee injury after being knocked into the goalpost.[32] The injury was revealed to be a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus damage that ended his season. However, the team's playoff hopes were greatly diminished in the following two games – a 4–1 loss in Phoenix and a 6–4 defeat to Anaheim in a Family Day matinee at home on February 15 – and left the team ten points outside of a playoff spot.[33]

March – April

Gary Bettman upheld Wideman's suspension on appeal, which prompted the NHLPA to further appeal to an independent arbitrator, the first time since the process was created in 2013 that the NHLPA had taken this step.[34] The process was criticized for how slowly it moved, as Wideman had already served 19 games of his suspension when the arbitrator ruled against the NHL's position that Wideman intended to injure the official, and reduced his suspension to ten games. Consequently, he had $280,000 in salary returned for the time he should not have missed.[35] Wideman's return to the Flames' lineup was short-lived as he suffered a season-ending triceps injury one week after being reinstated in a March 17 game.[36]

On the ice the Flames continued to struggle. After losing eight of their final nine games in February, the Flames won only two of six games to begin March.[9] The team enjoyed a 3–0–1 stretch that began on March 15 with a Michael Frolik hat trick in a 7–4 victory over the St. Louis Blues,[37] and ended with goaltender Niklas Backstrom, acquired from the Minnesota Wild in a trade at the deadline, recording a 4–1 victory over Montreal in his first NHL contest in over a year on March 21.[38]

The Flames were eliminated from post-season contention on March 26, prior to a 4–1 home defeat to Chicago.[39] A few nights later, on March 30, Calgary tied the NHL record for most consecutive road losses to one team as they skated to their 23rd consecutive regular season defeat in Anaheim.[40] However, in the 8–3 loss, Mark Giordano became the first Flames' defenceman to score 20 goals in one season since Dion Phaneuf in 2005–06, while rookie Hunter Shinkaruk scored his first NHL goal.[40]

Standings

Pacific Division

Pos	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	y – Anaheim Ducks	82	46	25	11	43	218	192	+26	103
2	x – Los Angeles Kings	82	48	28	6	46	225	195	+30	102
3	x – San Jose Sharks	82	46	30	6	42	241	210	+31	98
4	Arizona Coyotes	82	35	39	8	34	209	245	−36	78
5	Calgary Flames	82	35	40	7	33	231	260	−29	77
6	Vancouver Canucks	82	31	38	13	26	191	243	−52	75
7	Edmonton Oilers	82	31	43	8	27	203	245	−42	70

Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division.

Western Conference Wild Card

Pos	Div	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	CE	x – Nashville Predators	82	41	27	14	37	228	215	+13	96
2	CE	x – Minnesota Wild	82	38	33	11	35	216	206	+10	87
3	CE	Colorado Avalanche	82	39	39	4	35	216	240	−24	82
4	PA	Arizona Coyotes	82	35	39	8	34	209	245	−36	78
5	CE	Winnipeg Jets	82	35	39	8	32	215	239	−24	78
6	PA	Calgary Flames	82	35	40	7	33	231	260	−29	77
7	PA	Vancouver Canucks	82	31	38	13	26	191	243	−52	75
8	PA	Edmonton Oilers	82	31	43	8	27	203	245	−42	70

Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot.

Schedule and results

Pre-season

Pre-Season Game Log: 4–4–0 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 2–2–0)
#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 21	Calgary	2–4	Edmonton		McDonald	––	0–1–0	Recap
2	September 21	Edmonton	3–1	Calgary		Hiller	19,159	0–2–0	Recap
3	September 24	Calgary	1–0	Colorado		Ortio	––	1–2–0	Recap
4	September 25	Vancouver	1–4	Calgary		Hiller	19,289	2–2–0	Recap
5	September 26	Calgary	4–3	Vancouver	OT	Ramo	––	3–2–0	Recap
6	September 29	Colorado	0–2	Calgary		Hiller	18,806	4–2–0	Recap
7	October 1	Calgary	1–3	Winnipeg		Ortio	15,294	4–3–0	Recap
8	October 3	Winnipeg	3–2	Calgary		Ramo	19,289	4–4–0	Recap

Regular season

2015–16 Calgary Flames Game Log[41]
October: 3–8–1 (Home: 1–5–0 ; Road: 2–3–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 7 Vancouver 5–1 Calgary Ramo 19,289 0–1–0 0 Recap 2 October 10 Calgary 3–2 Vancouver OT Hiller 18,570 1–1–0 2 Recap 3 October 13 St. Louis 4–3 Calgary Hiller 18,632 1–2–0 2 Recap 4 October 16 Calgary 1–3 Winnipeg Ramo 15,016 1–3–0 2 Recap 5 October 17 Edmonton 5–2 Calgary Hiller 19,289 1–4–0 2 Recap 6 October 20 Washington 6–2 Calgary Ramo 18,303 1–5–0 2 Recap 7 October 23 Detroit 2–3 Calgary OT Hiller 19,158 2–5–0 4 Recap 8 October 25 Calgary 1–4 NY Rangers Hiller 18,006 2–6–0 4 Recap 9 October 26 Calgary 0–4 NY Islanders Ortio 11,582 2–7–0 4 Recap 10 October 28 Calgary 4–5 Ottawa SO Ortio 16,923 2–7–1 5 Recap 11 October 30 Montreal 6–2 Calgary Ortio 19,289 2–8–1 5 Recap 12 October 31 Calgary 5–4 Edmonton Ramo 16,839 3–8–1 7 Recap
November: 5–6–1 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 1–6–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 13 November 3 Calgary 3–6 Colorado Ramo 14,408 3–9–1 7 Recap 14 November 5 Philadelphia 1–2 Calgary OT Ramo 19,289 4–9–1 9 Recap 15 November 7 Pittsburgh 2–5 Calgary Ramo 19,289 5–9–1 11 Recap 16 November 10 Calgary 3–4 Florida Ramo 11,242 5–10–1 11 Recap 17 November 12 Calgary 1–3 Tampa Bay Ramo 19,092 5–11–1 11 Recap 18 November 13 Calgary 3–2 Washington OT Ramo 18,506 6–11–1 13 Recap 19 November 15 Calgary 1–4 Chicago Ramo 21,629 6–12–1 13 Recap 20 November 17 New Jersey 2–3 Calgary Ramo 19,289 7–12–1 15 Recap 21 November 20 Chicago 1–2 Calgary OT Ramo 19,289 8–12–1 17 Recap 22 November 24 Calgary 3–5 Anaheim Ramo 15,688 8–13–1 17 Recap 23 November 27 Calgary 1–2 Arizona OT Ramo 11,495 8–13–2 18 Recap 24 November 28 Calgary 2–5 San Jose Hiller 17,283 8–14–2 18 Recap
December: 9–4–0 (Home: 7–2–0 ; Road: 2–2–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 25 December 1 Dallas 3–4 Calgary SO Ramo 19,237 9–14–2 20 Recap 26 December 4 Boston 4–5 Calgary OT Ramo 19,289 10–14–2 22 Recap 27 December 8 San Jose 2–4 Calgary Ramo 19,289 11–14–2 24 Recap 28 December 10 Buffalo 3–4 Calgary Hiller 18,565 12–14–2 26 Recap 29 December 12 NY Rangers 4–5 Calgary OT Hiller 19,289 13–14–2 28 Recap 30 December 15 Calgary 2–1 Nashville OT Ramo 15,431 14–14–2 30 Recap 31 December 17 Calgary 3–1 Dallas Ramo 18,410 15–14–2 32 Recap 32 December 19 Calgary 2–3 St. Louis Ramo 18,163 15–15–2 32 Recap 33 December 20 Calgary 2–4 Detroit Ramo 20,027 15–16–2 32 Recap 34 December 22 Winnipeg 1–4 Calgary Ramo 19,289 16–16–2 34 Recap 35 December 27 Edmonton 3–5 Calgary Ramo 19,289 17–16–2 36 Recap 36 December 29 Anaheim 1–0 Calgary Ramo 19,289 17–17–2 36 Recap 37 December 31 Los Angeles 4–1 Calgary Ramo 19,289 17–18–2 36 Recap
January: 4–6–1 (Home: 2–3–0 ; Road: 2–3–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 38 January 2 Calgary 4–0 Colorado Ramo 18,087 18–18–2 38 Recap 39 January 5 Tampa Bay 1–3 Calgary Ramo 18,966 19–18–2 40 Recap 40 January 7 Arizona 2–1 Calgary Ramo 19,272 19–19–2 40 Recap 41 January 11 San Jose 5–4 Calgary Ramo 19,227 19–20–2 40 Recap 42 January 13 Florida 0–6 Calgary Hiller 18,702 20–20–2 42 Recap 43 January 16 Calgary 1–2 Edmonton SO Hiller 16,839 20–20–3 43 Recap 44 January 19 Calgary 2–4 New Jersey Hiller 14,319 20–21–3 43 Recap 45 January 21 Calgary 4–2 Columbus Ramo 12,492 21–21–3 45 Recap 46 January 24 Calgary 2–5 Carolina Ramo 9,934 21–22–3 45 Recap 47 January 25 Calgary 1–2 Dallas Ramo 18,532 21–23–3 45 Recap 48 January 27 Nashville 2–1 Calgary Ramo 19,289 21–24–3 45 Recap January 28–31 All-Star Break in Nashville, Tennessee
February: 5–8–1 (Home: 3–4–1 ; Road: 2–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 49 February 3 Carolina 1–4 Calgary Ramo 18,895 22–24–3 47 Recap 50 February 5 Columbus 2–1 Calgary Ramo 19,289 22–25–3 47 Recap 51 February 6 Calgary 4–1 Vancouver Hiller 18,570 23–25–3 49 Recap 52 February 9 Toronto 3–4 Calgary Hiller 19,289 24–25–3 51 Recap 53 February 11 Calgary 6–5 San Jose SO Hiller 16,854 25–25–3 53 Recap 54 February 12 Calgary 1–4 Arizona Hiller 13,643 25–26–3 53 Recap 55 February 15 Anaheim 6–4 Calgary Ortio 19,289 25–27–3 53 Recap 56 February 17 Minnesota 5–3 Calgary Hiller 19,289 25–28–3 53 Recap 57 February 19 Vancouver 2–5 Calgary Hiller 19,289 26–28–3 55 Recap 58 February 21 Calgary 2–5 Anaheim Hiller 17,174 26–29–3 55 Recap 59 February 23 Calgary 1–2 Los Angeles Ortio 18,230 26–30–3 55 Recap 60 February 25 NY Islanders 2–1 Calgary OT Ortio 19,289 26–30–4 56 Recap 61 February 27 Ottawa 6–4 Calgary Ortio 19,289 26–31–4 56 Recap 62 February 29 Calgary 3–5 Philadelphia Hiller 19,065 26–32–4 56 Recap
March: 6–8–2 (Home: 3–2–2 ; Road: 3–6–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 63 March 1 Calgary 1–2 Boston Ortio 17,565 26–33–4 56 Recap 64 March 3 Calgary 3–6 Buffalo Hiller 18,651 26–34–4 56 Recap 65 March 5 Calgary 4–2 Pittsburgh Ortio 18,663 27–34–4 58 Recap 66 March 7 San Jose 2–1 Calgary OT Ortio 18,740 27–34–5 59 Recap 67 March 9 Nashville 2–3 Calgary OT Ortio 19,289 28–34–5 61 Recap 68 March 11 Arizona 4–1 Calgary Ortio 19,289 28–35–5 61 Recap 69 March 14 St. Louis 4–7 Calgary Ortio 19,107 29–35–5 63 Recap 70 March 16 Winnipeg 1–4 Calgary Ortio 18,929 30–35–5 65 Recap 71 March 18 Colorado 4–3 Calgary SO Ortio 19,289 30–35–6 66 Recap 72 March 20 Calgary 4–1 Montreal Backstrom 21,288 31–35–6 68 Recap 73 March 21 Calgary 2–5 Toronto Hiller 19,069 31–36–6 68 Recap 74 March 24 Calgary 2–6 Minnesota Backstrom 19,032 31–37–6 68 Recap 75 March 26 Chicago 4–1 Calgary Ortio 19,289 31–38–6 68 Recap 76 March 28 Calgary 5–2 Arizona Ortio 14,347 32–38–6 70 Recap 77 March 30 Calgary 3–8 Anaheim Hiller 16,004 32–39–6 70 Recap 78 March 31 Calgary 0–3 Los Angeles Ortio 18,417 32–40–6 70 Recap
April: 3–0–1 (Home: 1–0–1 ; Road: 2–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 79 April 2 Calgary 5–0 Edmonton Ortio 16,839 33–40–6 72 Recap 80 April 5 Los Angeles 5–4 Calgary OT Ortio 18,438 33–40–7 73 Recap 81 April 7 Vancouver 3–7 Calgary Ortio 19,289 34–40–7 75 Recap 82 April 9 Calgary 2–1 Minnesota Backstrom 19,247 35–40–7 77 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular Season[42] Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Johnny Gaudreau 79 30 48 78 4 20 Sean Monahan 81 27 36 63 −6 18 Mark Giordano 82 21 35 56 −5 54 Mikael Backlund 82 21 26 47 10 28 T. J. Brodie 70 6 39 45 4 18 Joe Colborne 73 19 25 44 −9 27 Dougie Hamilton 82 12 31 43 −14 46 Sam Bennett 77 18 18 36 −11 37 Jiri Hudler^‡ 53 10 25 35 −1 17 Michael Frolik 64 15 17 32 1 24 Dennis Wideman 51 2 17 19 −9 30 Micheal Ferland 71 4 14 18 −15 45 Matt Stajan 80 6 11 17 −4 52 David Jones^‡ 59 9 6 15 −8 10 Kris Russell^‡ 51 4 11 15 −4 8 Josh Jooris 59 4 9 13 −1 39 Deryk Engelland 69 3 9 12 7 54 Markus Granlund^‡ 31 4 3 7 −1 8 Lance Bouma 44 2 5 7 −6 31 Jyrki Jokipakka^† 18 0 6 6 3 8 Mason Raymond 29 4 1 5 −3 8 Jakub Nakladal 27 2 3 5 −5 6 Brandon Bollig 54 2 2 4 −10 103 Hunter Shinkaruk 7 2 1 3 −4 2 Garnet Hathaway 14 0 3 3 −1 31 Freddie Hamilton 4 1 1 2 1 0 Patrick Sieloff 1 1 0 1 1 2 Derek Grant 15 0 1 1 −7 2 Drew Shore 2 0 1 1 0 2 Tyler Wotherspoon 11 0 1 1 0 0 Turner Elson 1 0 1 1 1 0 Ladislav Smid 22 0 0 0 −7 6 Kenny Agostino 2 0 0 0 −2 0 Brett Kulak 8 0 0 0 −2 0 Emile Poirier 2 0 0 0 −1 2 Oliver Kylington 1 0 0 0 0 0

Goaltenders

Regular Season[43]

Player	GP	GS	TOI	W	L	OT	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Karri Ramo	37	37	2144:38	17	18	1	94	2.63	1034	.909	1	0	1	0
Jonas Hiller	26	23	1351:08	9	11	1	79	3.51	654	.879	1	0	0	0
Joni Ortio	22	19	1197:17	7	9	5	55	2.76	564	.902	1	0	0	2
Niklas Backstrom	4	3	233	2	2	0	13	3.35	109	.881	0	0	0	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another organization before joining Flames. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
^‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.

Awards and honours

Awards

Player	Award	Awarded	Ref.
Johnny Gaudreau	NHL First Star of the Week (Dec. 21–27)	December 28, 2015	[19]
Johnny Gaudreau	NHL First Star of the Month (December)	January 4, 2016	[20]
Johnny Gaudreau	NHL All-Star game selection	January 6, 2016	[44]
Mark Giordano	NHL All-Star game selection	January 6, 2016	[44]
Sam Bennett	NHL Second Star of the Week (Jan. 11–17)	January 18, 2016	[23]
Sean Monahan	NHL Third Star of the Week (Mar. 14–20)	March 21, 2016	[45]

Milestones

Player	Milestone	Reached	Ref
Sean Monahan	100th NHL point	October 23, 2015	[46]
Johnny Gaudreau	100th NHL game	November 15, 2015	[47]
David Jones	100th NHL goal	November 17, 2015	[48]
Johnny Gaudreau	100th NHL point	December 22, 2015	[49]
Sam Bennett	1st NHL hat trick	January 13, 2016	[50]
Dougie Hamilton	100th NHL point	January 13, 2016	[51]
Jakub Nakladal	1st NHL game	February 9, 2016	[31]
Jakub Nakladal	1st NHL point (assist)	February 19, 2016	[52]
Josh Jooris	100th NHL game	February 23, 2016	[53]
Garnet Hathaway	1st NHL game	February 29, 2016	[54]
Jakub Nakladal	1st NHL goal	March 1, 2016	[55]
Garnet Hathaway	1st NHL point (assist)	March 3, 2016	[56]
Jyrki Jokipakka	100th NHL game	March 18, 2016	[57]
Hunter Shinkaruk	1st NHL point (assist)	March 28, 2016	[58]
Hunter Shinkaruk	1st NHL goal	March 30, 2016	[40]
Mikael Backlund	1st NHL hat trick	April 7, 2016	[59]
Patrick Sieloff	1st NHL game 1st NHL goal	April 9, 2016	[60]
Turner Elson	1st NHL game 1st NHL point (assist)	April 9, 2016	[60]
Oliver Kylington	1st NHL game	April 9, 2016	[60]
Brett Kulak	1st NHL game	April 11, 2016	[61]

Transactions

Player signings

Date	Player	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
June 30, 2015	Dougie Hamilton	6-years, $34.5 million	[62]
July 1, 2015	Karri Ramo	1-year, $3.8 million	[63]
July 15, 2015	Oliver Kylington	Entry level	[64]
July 15, 2015	Bryce Van Brabant	1-year, $874,125	[64]
July 15, 2015	Bill Arnold	1-year, $824,250	[64]
July 15, 2015	Drew Shore	1-year, $850,500	[64]
July 15, 2015	Kenny Agostino	1-year, $735,000	[64]
July 23, 2015	Lance Bouma	3-years, $6.6 million	[65]
July 24, 2015	Josh Jooris	1-year, $975,000	[66]
July 24, 2015	Turner Elson	1-year, $605,000	[66]
July 26, 2015	Paul Byron	1-year, $900,000	[67]
August 25, 2015	Mark Giordano	6-years, $40.5 million	[68]
September 10, 2015	Micheal Ferland	2-years, $1.65 million	[69]
September 23, 2015	Nick Schneider	3-years, entry-level contract	[70]

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
June 26, 2015	To Calgary Flames Dougie Hamilton (rights)	To Boston Bruins 1st-round pick in 2015 2nd-round pick in 2015 WSH's 2nd-round pick in 2015	[71]
June 27, 2015	To Calgary Flames TBL's 2nd-round pick in 2015	To Arizona Coyotes 3rd-round pick in 2015 WSH's 3rd-round pick in 2015	[72]
July 1, 2015	To Calgary Flames Conditional 4th-round pick in 2016	To Nashville Predators Max Reinhart	[73]
October 4, 2015	To Calgary Flames Freddie Hamilton	To Colorado Avalanche Conditional 7th-round pick in 2016	[74]
November 12, 2015	To Calgary Flames Kevin Poulin	To Tampa Bay Lightning Future Considerations	[75]
February 22, 2016	To Calgary Flames Hunter Shinkaruk	To Vancouver Canucks Markus Granlund	[76]
February 27, 2016	To Calgary Flames 2nd-round pick in 2016 4th-round pick in 2018	To Florida Panthers Jiri Hudler	[77]
February 29, 2016	To Calgary Flames Jyrki Jokipakka Brett Pollock Conditional 2nd-round pick in 2016	To Dallas Stars Kris Russell	[78]
February 29, 2016	To Calgary Flames Niklas Backstrom 6th-round pick in 2016	To Minnesota Wild David Jones	[79]

Additions and subtractions Additions Date Player Former team Via Contract terms Ref July 1, 2015 Michael Frolik Winnipeg Jets Free agency 5 years, $21.5 million [3] July 1, 2015 Derek Grant Ottawa Senators Free agency 1 year, $700,000 (two way) [3] Subtractions Date Player New team Via Ref July 1, 2015 Raphael Diaz New York Rangers Free agency [80] July 2, 2015 Mark Cundari San Jose Sharks Free agency [81] July 3, 2015 John Ramage Columbus Blue Jackets Free agency [82] July 3, 2015 Brian McGrattan Anaheim Ducks Free agency [83] July 17, 2015 David Wolf Hamburg Freezers (DEL) Free agency [84] September 10, 2015 David Schlemko New Jersey Devils Free agency [85] October 6, 2015 Paul Byron Montreal Canadiens Waivers [86] Draft picks Below are the Calgary Flames' selections at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, to be held on June 26–27, 2015 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Rnd Pick Player Nationality Pos Team (league) NHL statistics GP G A Pts PIM 2 53^[a] Rasmus Andersson  Sweden D Barrie Colts (OHL) 2 60^[b] Oliver Kylington  Sweden D AIK IF (HockeyAllsvenskan) 5 136 Pavel Karnaukhov  Belarus LW Calgary Hitmen (WHL) 6 166 Andrew Mangiapane  Canada LW Barrie Colts (OHL) 7 196 Riley Bruce  Canada D North Bay Battalion (OHL) The Calgary Flames' first-round pick went to the Boston Bruins as the result of a trade on June 26, 2015, that sent Dougie Hamilton to Calgary in exchange for Calgary and Washington's second-round picks in 2015 (45th and 52nd overall) and this pick.[87] The Calgary Flames' second-round pick went to the Boston Bruins as the result of a trade on June 26, 2015, that sent Dougie Hamilton to Calgary in exchange for a first-round pick in 2015 (15th overall), Washington's second-round pick in 2015 (52nd overall) and this pick.[87] ^[a] The Vancouver Canucks' second-round pick went to the Calgary Flames as the result of a trade on March 2, 2015, that sent Sven Baertschi to Vancouver in exchange for this pick.[88] ^[b] The Tampa Bay Lightning's second-round pick went to the Calgary Flames as the result of a trade on June 27, 2015, that sent Calgary and Washington's third-round picks both in 2015 (76th and 83rd overall) to Arizona in exchange for this pick.[89] Arizona previously acquired this pick, as the result of a trade on March 1, 2015 that sent Keith Yandle, Chris Summers and a fourth-round pick in 2016 to New York in exchange for John Moore, Anthony Duclair, a conditional first-round pick in 2016 and this pick.[90] The Rangers previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade March 5, 2014, that sent Ryan Callahan, a conditional first-round pick in 2014, a first-round pick in 2015, and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2015 to Tampa Bay in exchange for Martin St. Louis and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).[91] The condition – the Rangers will receive a second-round pick in 2015 if Callahan is re-signed by Tampa Bay for the 2014–15 NHL season – was converted on June 25, 2014, when Tampa Bay signed Callahan to a six-year contract.[92] The Calgary Flames' third-round pick went to the Arizona Coyotes as the result of a trade on June 27, 2015, that sent Tampa Bay's second-round pick in 2015 (60th overall) to Calgary in exchange for Washington's third-round pick in 2015 (83rd overall) and this pick.[89] The Calgary Flames' fourth-round pick went to the San Jose Sharks as the result of a trade on July 2, 2013, that sent TJ Galiardi to Calgary in exchange for this pick.[93] References Johnson, George (June 28, 2015). 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