2015–16 Arizona Coyotes season
The 2015–16 Arizona Coyotes season was the 37th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 22, 1979, the 20th season since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg following the 1995–96 NHL season, and the 44th overall, including the World Hockey Association years.
The season began its regular games on October 9, 2015 against the Los Angeles Kings.
Despite being unable to play since 2011 following career-ending injuries, the Coyotes acquired Chris Pronger's contract from the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade that sent Pronger and Nicklas Grossmann to Phoenix in exchange for Sam Gagner and a conditional pick.
Standings
Schedule and results
Pre-season
Regular season
Player statistics
Final stats| Player | ||||||
| 75 | 21 | 34 | 55 | −6 | 96 | |
| 81 | 18 | 34 | 52 | 3 | 72 | |
| 72 | 28 | 19 | 47 | 4 | 98 | |
| 81 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 12 | 49 | |
| 64 | 13 | 28 | 41 | −5 | 77 | |
| ‡ | 62 | 13 | 26 | 39 | −28 | 10 |
| 76 | 17 | 21 | 38 | −14 | 93 | |
| 82 | 14 | 23 | 37 | −21 | 10 | |
| 75 | 6 | 30 | 36 | −10 | 62 | |
| 82 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 8 | 46 | |
| 81 | 9 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 18 | |
| 78 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 5 | 48 | |
| † | 18 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 8 |
| 70 | 4 | 8 | 12 | −10 | 38 | |
| † | 38 | 4 | 5 | 9 | −3 | 39 |
| 71 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −5 | 28 | |
| 58 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 24 | |
| 70 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 20 | |
| 26 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 53 | |
| † | 39 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −6 | 14 |
| ‡ | 19 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 4 |
| 65 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −7 | 10 | |
| 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −2 | 0 | |
| ‡ | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| † | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −4 | 10 |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 2 | |
| † | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| ‡ | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 7 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| † | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| † | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 12 |
;Goaltenders
| Player | ||||||||||||||
| 39 | 36 | 2,206 | 15 | 18 | 5 | 101 | 2.75 | 1142 | 0.912 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 32 | 32 | 1,754 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 77 | 2.63 | 921 | 0.916 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 19 | 13 | 906:08 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 47 | 3.11 | 443 | 0.894 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | 1 | 50 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6.00 | 20 | .750 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Coyotes. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record
Awards and honours
Awards
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| NHL Third Star of the Week | October 12, 2015 | |
| NHL All-Star game captain | January 2, 2016 | |
| NHL Second Star of the Week | January 4, 2016 | |
| NHL Rookie of the Month | February 1, 2016 |
Milestones
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| 1st career NHL game 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL goal 1st career NHL point | October 9, 2015 | |
| 1st career NHL goal | October 10, 2015 | |
| 1st career NHL hat-trick | October 14, 2015 | |
| 900th career NHL point | October 17, 2015 | |
| 100th career NHL assist | October 17, 2015 | |
| S. Doan | 1,400th career NHL game | October 20, 2015 |
| 500th career NHL game | October 22, 2015 | |
| 400th career NHL game | November 10, 2015 | |
| 400th career NHL game | November 14, 2015 | |
| 100th career NHL point | December 1, 2015 | |
| 100th career NHL game | December 8, 2015 | |
| 1st career NHL shutout | December 19, 2015 |
Transactions
The Coyotes have been involved in the following transactions during the 2015–16 season.Trades
Free agents acquired
Free agents lost
Claimed via waivers
Lost via waivers
Player signings
The following players were signed by the Coyotes. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk.| Date | Player | Contract terms | Ref |
| Craig Cunningham | 1 year, $600,000* | ||
| Dylan Reese | 1 year, $575,000* | ||
| Dylan Strome | 3 years, entry-level contract* | ||
| Mikkel Boedker | 1 year, $3.75 million | ||
| Philip Samuelsson | 1 year, $600,000* | ||
| Brendan Shinnimin | 1 year, $600,000* | ||
| Klas Dahlbeck | 1 year, $605,000* | ||
| Jordan Martinook | 1 year, $600,000* | ||
| Michael Bunting | 3 years, entry-level contract* | ||
| Nick Merkley | 3 years, entry-level contract* | ||
| Louis Domingue | 1 year, $605,000 | ||
| Conor Garland | 3 years, entry-level contract* | ||
| Dysin Mayo | 3 years, entry-level contract* | ||
| Kyle Wood | 3 years, entry-level contract* | ||
| Adin Hill | 3 years, entry-level contract* | ||
| Craig Cunningham | 1 year* | ||
| Alex Goligoski | 5 years, $27.375 million |
Draft picks
Below are the Arizona Coyotes' selections at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, to be held on June 26–27, 2015 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
| 1 | 3 | Dylan Strome | C | Erie Otters | |
| 1 | 30 | Nicholas Merkley | RW | Kelowna Rockets | |
| 2 | 32 | Christian Fischer | RW | USA U-18 | |
| 3 | 63 | Kyle Capobianco | D | Sudbury Wolves | |
| 3 | 76 | Adin Hill | G | Portland Winterhawks | |
| 3 | 81 | Brendan Warren | LW | USA U-18 | |
| 3 | 83 | Jens Looke | RW | Brynäs IF | |
| 5 | 123 | Conor Garland | RW | Moncton Wildcats | |
| 7 | 183 | Erik Kallgren | G | Linköpings HC |
;Draft notes
- The Chicago Blackhawks' first-round pick went to the Arizona Coyotes as the result of a trade on February 28, 2015 that sent Antoine Vermette to Chicago in exchange for Klas Dahlbeck and this pick.
- The Calgary Flames' third-round pick went to the Arizona Coyotes as the result of a trade on June 27, 2015 that sent a 2015 second-round pick to Calgary in exchange for a 2013 third round pick and this pick.
- The Minnesota Wild's third-round pick went to the Arizona Coyotes as the result of a trade on January 14, 2015 that sent Devan Dubnyk to Minnesota in exchange for this pick.
- The Washington Capitals' 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 to Calgary in exchange for a third-round pick in 2015 and this pick.
- The Arizona Coyotes' fourth-round pick went to the Carolina Hurricanes as the result of a trade on February 28, 2015 that sent Tim Gleason to Washington in exchange for Jack Hillen and this pick.
- The Arizona Coyotes' sixth-round pick went to the Tampa Bay Lightning as the result of a trade on June 29, 2014 that sent Sam Gagner and B. J. Crombeen to Arizona in exchange for this pick.