2015–16 Toronto Maple Leafs season
The 2015–16 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the 99th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on November 22, 1917. The season officially began its regular games on October 7, 2015, with a 3–1 loss against the Montreal Canadiens.
Despite stretches of strong play, with the Maple Leafs at one point being within a few points of a playoff spot, they broke the franchise record for most losses in a season with 53. However, it is important to note the previous record was set when there were only 80 games per season. Due to the point awarded for overtime and shootout losses, the Leafs finished the season with 69 points, one more than the previous season. Despite the improved record, the Maple Leafs finished last overall in the NHL standings for the first time since the 1984-85 season. On April 30, 2016, it was announced that the Leafs had won the draft lottery, and would receive the first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Auston Matthews was subsequently selected first overall.
On July 1, 2015, the Maple Leafs were part of a blockbuster, multi-player deal that centred on Phil Kessel moving to the Pittsburgh Penguins, with one of the key pieces for Toronto being prospect Kasperi Kapanen. Kessel would be a central piece in the Penguins' Stanley Cup win later that season. Months later, another significant trade occurred when captain Dion Phaneuf plus four other players were traded to Ottawa Senators in exchange for four players plus a second round draft pick in 2017. A trade like this was seen as substantial due to the divisional Battle of Ontario rivalry and the NHL salary cap, which typically prevents more than a few players from moving at once.
Off-season
The Maple Leafs made numerous personnel changes prior to the start of the season. Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello were hired as head coach and general manager, respectively, replacing Dave Nonis and interim head coach Peter Horachek. Additionally, in an effort to bring in new personnel, coaches Steve Spott, Chris Dennis, Rick St. Croix; Director of Player Development Jim Hughes; and Director of Pro Scouting Steve Kasper, as well as Rob Cowie, strength and conditioning coach Anthony Belza, and 18 other scouts were fired. The team would find replacements for these members throughout the off season.The 2015 NHL Entry Draft was held between July 26 and 27, and the Maple Leafs made a total of 9 selections, while also acquiring defenceman Martin Marincin.
Following the draft, the Leafs made a number of moves during the free agency period, signing players such as P. A. Parenteau, Mark Arcobello, and Shawn Matthias to short term contracts. The most noteworthy move came in a blockbuster deal that sent winger Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Tim Erixon, Tyler Biggs and a conditional second-round draft pick, in exchange for Kasperi Kapanen, Nick Spaling, Scott Harrington, and a conditional set of draft picks.
As the off-season went on, the team would sign Devin Setoguchi, Curtis Glencross, Brad Boyes, and Mark Fraser to professional try out contracts. Out of these four, Boyes was the only one to sign a contract, inking a one-year deal, while the others were released.
For a complete list of on-ice off-season moves, please see Transactions.
Standings
Record vs opponents
* game decided in overtime or shoot-outSchedule and results
Pre-season
Regular season
Overtime statistics
Player statistics
Final statsSkaters
| Player | ||||||
| 76 | 17 | 28 | 45 | −15 | 73 | |
| 77 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 0 | 68 | |
| 67 | 19 | 17 | 36 | −12 | 40 | |
| 82 | 9 | 27 | 36 | −17 | 28 | |
| 57 | 12 | 23 | 35 | −9 | 18 | |
| 79 | 7 | 24 | 31 | −15 | 32 | |
| 40 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 3 | 6 | |
| 65 | 9 | 18 | 27 | −16 | 28 | |
| 60 | 8 | 16 | 24 | −6 | 12 | |
| ‡ | 51 | 3 | 21 | 24 | −4 | 67 |
| 80 | 9 | 9 | 18 | −4 | 12 | |
| ‡ | 51 | 6 | 11 | 17 | −10 | 12 |
| † | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | −2 | 13 |
| 46 | 11 | 3 | 14 | −10 | 12 | |
| ‡ | 56 | 4 | 10 | 14 | −3 | 16 |
| 22 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 4 | |
| ‡ | 55 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 56 |
| 60 | 2 | 8 | 10 | −17 | 32 | |
| † | 21 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −6 | 2 |
| 65 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −3 | 34 | |
| ‡ | 35 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −7 | 18 |
| 16 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 18 | |
| † | 16 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −2 | 0 | |
| † | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 6 |
| 39 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −12 | 26 | |
| 12 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 6 | |
| 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −4 | 6 | |
| 56 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −11 | 16 | |
| 20 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −3 | 15 | |
| 19 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 22 | |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −6 | 6 | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −5 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 4 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 | |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 2 |
Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Maple Leafs. Stats reflect time with the Maple Leafs only.‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Maple Leafs only.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record.
Year end roster
Updated May 22, 2016. Sources: Toronto Maple Leafs, CBS SportsThis list only includes skaters who played a minimum of 20 games with the Maple Leafs, or goaltenders who player at least 15. For a complete list of players, see HERE. Additionally, players who were traded away before the season's end are not included in this table.
Suspensions/fines
Awards and honours
Awards
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| NHL Third Star of the Week | November 16, 2015 | |
| NHL Third Star of the Week | December 28, 2015 | |
| NHL All-Star game selection | January 6, 2016 |
Milestones
A variety of milestones were set by players during the season. In terms of debuts, twelve players appeared in this first NHL game this season. They include Byron Froese, Garret Sparks, Brendan Leipsic, Viktor Loov, Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen, William Nylander, Nikita Soshnikov, Rinat Valiev, Connor Brown, Frederik Gauthier and Tobias Lindberg.| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| 1st Career NHL Game | October 24, 2015 | |
| 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | October 24, 2015 | |
| 10,000 Career NHL Minutes | October 30, 2015 | |
| B. Froese | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | November 2, 2015 |
| 10,000 Career NHL Minutes | November 12, 2015 | |
| 200th Career NHL Goal | November 14, 2015 | |
| 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Win 1st Career NHL Shutout | November 30, 2015 | |
| 100th Career NHL Game | December 2, 2015 | |
| 400th Career NHL Game | December 3, 2015 | |
| 400th Career NHL Game | December 5, 2015 | |
| T. Bozak | 100th Career NHL Goal | December 15, 2015 |
| 1st Career NHL Assist | December 17, 2015 | |
| B. Froese | 1st Career NHL Goal | December 19, 2015 |
| 10th Career NHL Shutout | December 19, 2015 | |
| T. Bozak | 2nd Career NHL Hat-Trick | December 21, 2015 |
| 600th Career NHL Game | December 27, 2015 | |
| 100th Career NHL Point | December 27, 2015 | |
| 100th Career NHL Goal | December 27, 2015 | |
| 100th Career NHL Assist | December 29, 2015 | |
| Career High for Points in a Season | January 2, 2016 | |
| L. Komarov | 1st NHL All-Star Appearance | January 6, 2015 |
| 1000th Career NHL Game Coached | January 4, 2016 | |
| 300th Career NHL Assist | January 16, 2016 | |
| J. Reimer | 200th Career NHL Game | February 2, 2016 |
| 100th Career NHL Point | February 2, 2016 | |
| Career High for Goals in a Season | February 11, 2016 | |
| 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | February 13, 2016 | |
| 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | February 18, 2016 | |
| J. Bernier | 200th Career NHL Game | February 18, 2016 |
| 500th Career NHL Point | February 20, 2016 | |
| 1st Career NHL Game | February 29, 2016 | |
| 1st Career NHL Game | February 29, 2016 | |
| 1st Career NHL Game | February 29, 2016 | |
| 1st Career NHL Game | February 29, 2016 | |
| N. Soshnikov | 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | March 2, 2016 |
| W. Nylander | 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | March 5, 2016 |
| N. Soshnikov | 1st Career NHL Assist | March 7, 2016 |
| Z. Hyman | 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | March 7, 2016 |
| 1st Career NHL Game | March 12, 2016 | |
| 1st Career NHL Game | March 17, 2016 | |
| 1st Career NHL Game | March 19, 2016 | |
| C. Brown | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | March 21, 2016 |
| C. Brown | 1st Career NHL Goal | March 24, 2016 |
| 100th Career NHL Goal | March 29, 2016 | |
| N. Kadri | 3rd Career NHL Hat-Trick | March 29, 2016 |
| 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | March 31, 2016 |
Transactions
The Maple Leafs have been involved in the following transactions during the 2015–16 season.Trades
Free agents acquired
Players signed to professional try out contracts are not included in this table. Please see off-season for try outs.| Date | Player | Former team | Contract terms | Ref |
| Matt Hunwick | New York Rangers | 2 years, $2.4 million | ||
| P. A. Parenteau | Montreal Canadiens | 1 year, $1.5 million | ||
| Mark Arcobello | Arizona Coyotes | 1 year, $1.1 million | ||
| Daniel Winnik | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2 years, $4.5 million | ||
| Byron Froese | Toronto Marlies | 2 years, entry-level contract | ||
| Shawn Matthias | Vancouver Canucks | 1 year, $2.3 million | ||
| Brad Boyes | Florida Panthers | 1 year, $700,000 | ||
| Andrew Campbell | Arizona Coyotes | 2 years, $1.15 million | ||
| Richard Clune | Toronto Marlies | 1 year, $575,000 | ||
| Kasimir Kaskisuo | University of Minnesota-Duluth | 2 years, entry-level contract | ||
| Nikita Zaitsev | CSKA Moscow | 1 year, entry-level contract |
Free agents lost
Claimed via waivers
Lost via waivers
Lost via retirement
Player signings
Draft picks
Below are the Toronto Maple Leafs' selections at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, held on June 26–27, 2015 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
| 1 | 4 | Mitch Marner | Center/Right Wing | Canada | London Knights |
| 2 | 34 | Travis Dermott 1 | Defence | Canada | Erie Otters |
| 2 | 61 | Jeremy Bracco 2 | Right Wing | United States | U.S. NTDP |
| 3 | 65 | Andrew Nielsen | Defence | Canada | Lethbridge Hurricanes |
| 3 | 68 | Martins Dzierkals 3 | Left Wing | Latvia | HK Rīga |
| 4 | 95 | Jesper Lindgren | Defence | Sweden | Modo Hockey |
| 5 | 125 | Dmytro Timashov | Left Wing | Sweden Ukraine | Quebec Remparts |
| 6 | 155 | Stephen Desrocher | Defence | Canada | Oshawa Generals |
| 7 | 185 | Nikita Korostelev | Right Wing | Russia | Sarnia Sting |
- While Timashov has represented Sweden internationally and identifies as Swedish, NHL.com lists Timashov as Ukrainian.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs' second-round pick was re-acquired as the result of a trade on June 26, 2015 that sent Tampa Bay's first-round pick in 2015 to Columbus in exchange for Philadelphia's third-round pick in 2015 and this pick.
- :Columbus previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on March 5, 2014 that sent Marian Gaborik to Los Angeles in exchange for Matt Frattin, a conditional third-round pick in 2014 and this pick.
- :Los Angeles previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on June 23, 2013 that sent Jonathan Bernier to Toronto in exchange for Ben Scrivens, Matt Frattin and this pick. The condition – Los Angeles will receive a second-round pick in 2014 or 2015 at Toronto's choice – was converted on January 18, 2014 when Toronto's second-round pick in 2014 was traded to the Anaheim Ducks.
- The Chicago Blackhawks' second-round pick went to the Toronto Maple Leafs as the result of a trade on June 26, 2015 that Nashville's first-round pick in 2015 to Philadelphia in exchange for Tampa Bay's first-round pick in 2015 and this pick.
- :Philadelphia previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on February 27, 2015 that sent Kimmo Timonen to Chicago in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2016 and this pick.
- The Philadelphia Flyers' third-round pick went the Toronto Maple Leafs as the result of a trade on June 26, 2015 that sent Tampa Bay's first-round pick in 2015 to Columbus in exchange for Toronto's second-round pick in 2015 and this pick.
- :Columbus previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on April 3, 2013 that sent Steve Mason to Philadelphia in exchange for Michael Leighton and this pick.