2015–16 New Jersey Devils season

2015–16 New Jersey Devils
Division	7th Metropolitan
Conference	12th Eastern
2015–16 record	38–36–8
Home record	19–17–5
Road record	19–19–3
Goals for	184
Goals against	208
Team information
General Manager	Ray Shero
Coach	John Hynes
Captain	Andy Greene
Alternate captains	Michael Cammalleri Patrik Elias Adam Henrique Travis Zajac
Arena	Prudential Center
Average attendance	15,073
Minor league affiliations	Albany Devils (AHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Adam Henrique Kyle Palmieri (30)
Assists	Travis Zajac (28)
Points	Kyle Palmieri (57)
Penalties in minutes	Jordin Tootoo (102)
Plus/minus	Michael Cammalleri Adam Larsson (+15)
Wins	Cory Schneider (27)
Goals against average	Scott Wedgewood (1.24)
<2014–15	2016–17>

The 2015–16 New Jersey Devils season was the 42nd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 34th season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season. The team's regular season began on October 9, 2015, against the Winnipeg Jets. The Devils once again missed the playoffs.

Schedule and results

Pre-season

2015 Pre-Season Game Log: 3–4–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)
#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 20	New Jersey	0–2	Boston		Kinkaid	––	0–1–0	Recap
2	September 21	New Jersey	3–6	NY Rangers		Schneider	18,006	0–2–0	Recap
3	September 23	New Jersey	1–2	NY Islanders		Schneider	7,046	0–3–0	Recap
4	September 25	NY Islanders	2–4	New Jersey		Kinkaid	8,871	1–3–0	Recap
5	September 26	NY Rangers	4–3	New Jersey		Schneider	12,137	1–4–0	Recap
6	September 30	New Jersey	4–2	Philadelphia		Kinkaid	17,732	2–4–0	Recap
7	October 2	Philadelphia	2–3	New Jersey	SO	Schneider	9,235	3–4–0	Recap
Notes: a Game was played at Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.

Regular season

2015–16 Game Log
October: 6–4–1 (Home: 2–3–1 ; Road: 4–1–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 9 Winnipeg 3–1 New Jersey Schneider 14,579 0–1–0 0 Recap 2 October 10 New Jersey 3–5 Washington Kinkaid 18,506 0–2–0 0 Recap 3 October 13 Nashville 3–1 New Jersey Kinkaid 11,117 0–3–0 0 Recap 4 October 16 San Jose 2–1 New Jersey SO Schneider 12,464 0–3–1 1 Recap 5 October 18 New Jersey 2–1 NY Rangers OT Schneider 18,006 1–3–1 3 Recap 6 October 20 Arizona 2–3 New Jersey OT Schneider 12,171 2–3–1 5 Recap 7 October 22 New Jersey 5–4 Ottawa SO Schneider 16,578 3–3–1 7 Recap 8 October 24 New Jersey 4–3 Buffalo Schneider 18,040 4–3–1 9 Recap 9 October 27 Columbus 3–1 New Jersey Schneider 12,847 4–4–1 9 Recap 10 October 29 New Jersey 4–1 Philadelphia Schneider 19,241 5–4–1 11 Recap 11 October 31 NY Islanders 2–3 New Jersey SO Schneider 11,605 6–4–1 13 Recap
November: 6–5–1 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 3–3–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 12 November 3 New Jersey 1–2 NY Islanders Schneider 12,122 6–5–1 13 Recap 13 November 6 Chicago 2–4 New Jersey Schneider 16,514 7–5–1 15 Recap 14 November 8 Vancouver 3–4 New Jersey OT Kinkaid 14,896 8–5–1 17 Recap 15 November 10 St. Louis 2–0 New Jersey Schneider 13,310 8–6–1 17 Recap 16 November 12 New Jersey 3–2 Chicago Schneider 21,568 9–6–1 19 Recap 17 November 14 Pittsburgh 0–4 New Jersey Schneider 16,514 10–6–1 21 Recap 18 November 17 New Jersey 2–3 Calgary Schneider 19,289 10–7–1 21 Recap 19 November 20 New Jersey 1–5 Edmonton Kinkaid 16,839 10–8–1 21 Recap 20 November 22 New Jersey 3–2 Vancouver Schneider 18,268 11–8–1 23 Recap 21 November 25 Columbus 2–1 New Jersey Schneider 13,567 11–9–1 23 Recap 22 November 27 Montreal 3–2 New Jersey SO Schneider 16,514 11–9–2 24 Recap 23 November 28 New Jersey 3–2 Montreal OT Schneider 21,288 12–9–2 26 Recap
December: 7–5–3 (Home: 3–3–1 ; Road: 4–2–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 24 December 1 Colorado 2–1 New Jersey Schneider 14,019 12–10–2 26 Recap 25 December 3 New Jersey 5–1 Carolina Kinkaid 9,254 13–10–2 28 Recap 26 December 4 Philadelphia 4–3 New Jersey OT Schneider 14,825 13–10–3 29 Recap 27 December 6 Florida 2–4 New Jersey Schneider 13,643 14–10–3 31 Recap 28 December 8 New Jersey 2–3 Toronto SO Schneider 19,043 14–10–4 32 Recap 29 December 11 Detroit 2–3 New Jersey OT Schneider 16,514 15–10–4 34 Recap 30 December 13 New Jersey 0–4 NY Islanders Schneider 13,259 15–11–4 34 Recap 31 December 15 New Jersey 2–0 Buffalo Schneider 18,297 16–11–4 36 Recap 32 December 17 Florida 5–1 New Jersey Schneider 12,512 16–12–4 36 Recap 33 December 19 Anaheim 2–1 New Jersey Kinkaid 16,514 16–13–4 36 Recap 34 December 20 New Jersey 1–2 Boston SO Schneider 17,565 16–13–5 37 Recap 35 December 22 New Jersey 4–3 Detroit Schneider 20,027 17–13–5 39 Recap 36 December 26 New Jersey 1–3 Carolina Schneider 11,654 17–14–5 39 Recap 37 December 29 Carolina 2–3 New Jersey Kinkaid 16,514 18–14–5 41 Recap 38 December 30 New Jersey 3–0 Ottawa Schneider 19,825 19–14–5 43 Recap
January: 6–6–0 (Home: 3–2–0 ; Road: 3–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 39 January 2 Dallas 2–3 New Jersey OT Schneider 16,514 20–14–5 45 Recap 40 January 4 Detroit 1–0 New Jersey Schneider 15,547 20–15–5 45 Recap 41 January 6 New Jersey 1–2 Montreal Schneider 21,288 20–16–5 45 Recap 42 January 8 Boston 4–1 New Jersey Schneider 16,514 20–17–5 45 Recap 43 January 10 New Jersey 2–1 Minnesota Schneider 19,028 21–17–5 47 Recap 44 January 12 New Jersey 2–5 St. Louis Kinkaid 17,951 21–18–5 47 Recap 45 January 14 New Jersey 0–3 Colorado Schneider 15,636 21–19–5 47 Recap 46 January 16 New Jersey 2–0 Arizona Schneider 11,745 22–19–5 49 Recap 47 January 19 Calgary 2–4 New Jersey Schneider 14,319 23–19–5 51 Recap 48 January 21 Ottawa 3–6 New Jersey Schneider 14,772 24–19–5 53 Recap 49 January 23 New Jersey 3–1 Winnipeg Schneider 15,294 25–19–5 55 Recap 50 January 26 New Jersey 0–2 Pittsburgh Schneider 18,442 25–20–5 55 Recap
February: 5–6–2 (Home: 4–3–1 ; Road: 1–3–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 51 February 2 NY Rangers 2–3 New Jersey Schneider 16,514 26–20–5 57 Recap 52 February 4 New Jersey 2–3 Toronto SO Kinkaid 18,947 26–20–6 58 Recap 53 February 6 Washington 3–2 New Jersey SO Schneider 16,514 26–20–7 59 Recap 54 February 8 New Jersey 1–2 NY Rangers Schneider 18,006 26–21–7 59 Recap 55 February 9 Edmonton 1–2 New Jersey Schneider 16,514 27–21–7 61 Recap 56 February 13 New Jersey 2–1 Philadelphia OT Schneider 19,775 28–21–7 63 Recap 57 February 14 Los Angeles 0–1 New Jersey Kinkaid 16,514 29–21–7 65 Recap 58 February 16 Philadelphia 6–3 New Jersey Schneider 15,482 29–22–7 65 Recap 59 February 19 NY Islanders 1–0 New Jersey Schneider 16,514 29–23–7 65 Recap 60 February 20 New Jersey 3–4 Washington Schneider 18,506 29–24–7 65 Recap 61 February 23 NY Rangers 2–5 New Jersey Schneider 16,514 30–24–7 67 Recap 62 February 25 New Jersey 1–6 Columbus Schneider 12,590 30–25–7 67 Recap 63 February 26 Tampa Bay 4–0 New Jersey Schneider 15,968 30–26–7 67 Recap
March: 7–6–1 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 4–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 64 March 1 Carolina 3–1 New Jersey Schneider 14,251 30–27–7 67 Recap 65 March 3 New Jersey 5–4 Nashville OT Kinkaid 17,113 31–27–7 69 Recap 66 March 4 New Jersey 2–4 Dallas Schneider 18,117 31–28–7 69 Recap 67 March 6 Pittsburgh 6–1 New Jersey Kinkaid 15,856 31–29–7 69 Recap 68 March 10 New Jersey 3–0 San Jose Kinkaid 16,234 32–29–7 71 Recap 69 March 12 New Jersey 2–1 Los Angeles OT Kinkaid 18,412 33–29–7 73 Recap 70 March 14 New Jersey 1–7 Anaheim Kinkaid 15,423 33–30–7 73 Recap 71 March 17 Minnesota 4–7 New Jersey Kinkaid 15,114 34–30–7 75 Recap 72 March 19 New Jersey 3–6 Columbus Danis 14,447 34–31–7 75 Recap 73 March 20 Columbus 1–2 New Jersey Wedgewood 15,146 35–31–7 77 Recap 74 March 24 New Jersey 3–0 Pittsburgh Wedgewood 18,610 36–31–7 79 Recap 75 March 25 Washington 1–0 New Jersey OT Wedgewood 16,514 36–31–8 80 Recap 76 March 27 New Jersey 2–3 Carolina Wedgewood 12,792 36–32–8 80 Recap 77 March 29 Boston 1–2 New Jersey Kinkaid 15,486 37–32–8 82 Recap 78 March 31 New Jersey 2–3 Florida Kinkaid 15,803 37–33–8 82 Recap
April: 1–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 0–1–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 79 April 2 New Jersey 1–3 Tampa Bay Schneider 19,092 37–34–8 82 Recap 80 April 5 Buffalo 3–1 New Jersey Schneider 14,773 37–35–8 82 Recap 81 April 7 Tampa Bay 4–2 New Jersey Kinkaid 15,536 37–36–8 82 Recap 82 April 9 Toronto 1–5 New Jersey Schneider 16,514 38–36–8 84 Recap
Legend:       Win (2 points)       Loss (0 points)       Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Player statistics

Final stats

Skaters

Regular season

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
Kyle Palmieri	82	30	27	57	3	39
Adam Henrique	80	30	20	50	10	23
Travis Zajac	74	14	28	42	3	25
Lee Stempniak ‡	63	16	25	41	3	34
Michael Cammalleri	42	14	24	38	15	18
Damon Severson	72	1	20	21	−8	32
Reid Boucher	39	8	11	19	−13	6
David Schlemko	67	6	13	19	−22	16
John Moore	73	4	15	19	−12	28
Adam Larsson	82	3	15	18	15	77
Joseph Blandisi	41	5	12	17	−14	34
Tyler Kennedy	50	3	13	16	−14	14
Sergey Kalinin	78	8	7	15	−9	33
Jacob Josefson	58	4	10	14	−21	20
Devante Smith-Pelly†	18	8	5	13	−1	8
Andy Greene	82	4	9	13	7	26
Stephen Gionta	82	1	10	11	−13	43
Bobby Farnham	50	8	2	10	−2	92
Jordin Tootoo	66	4	5	9	−26	102
Patrik Elias	16	2	6	8	5	10
Eric Gelinas‡	34	1	5	6	−8	16
Jon Merrill	47	1	4	5	−15	28
Mike Sislo	18	3	1	4	−2	4
Jiri Tlusty	30	2	2	4	−1	6
Blake Pietila	7	1	1	2	0	2
Brian O'Neill	22	0	2	2	−3	8
Pavel Zacha	1	0	2	2	4	0
Stefan Matteau‡	20	1	0	1	−9	13
Tuomo Ruutu	33	0	1	1	−7	8
David Warsofsky	10	0	1	1	−3	2
Seth Helgeson	19	0	1	1	−5	17
Marc-Andre Gragnani	4	0	0	0	−2	2
Jim O'Brien	4	0	0	0	−4	2
Paul Thompson	3	0	0	0	0	2
Miles Wood	1	0	0	0	0	0
Steven Santini	1	0	0	0	2	2
Vojtech Mozik	7	0	0	0	0	4

Goaltenders

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	TOI	W	L	OT	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Cory Schneider	58	58	3,412	27	25	6	122	2.15	1597	0.924	4	0	0	0
Keith Kinkaid	23	20	1240	9	9	1	58	2.81	605	0.904	2	0	0	2
Scott Wedgewood	4	4	241	2	1	1	5	1.24	116	0.957	1	0	0	0
Yann Danis	2	0	51	0	1	0	4	4.71	18	0.778	0	0	0	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Devils. Stats reflect time with the Devils only.
^‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Devils only.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record.

Suspensions/fines

Player	Explanation	Length	Salary	Date issued
Jordin Tootoo	Dangerous trip on Nashville Predators defenseman Seth Jones during NHL Game No. 37 in Newark on Tuesday, October 13, 2015, at 7:55 of the third period.	—	$2,217.74	October 15, 2015
Stephen Gionta	Spearing Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki during NHL Game No. 94 in Ottawa on Thursday, October 22, 2015, at 18:18 of the second period.	—	$2,284.95	October 23, 2015
Bobby Farnham	Diving/Embellishment during NHL Game No. 553 in Ottawa on Wednesday, December 30, 2015.	—	$2,000.00	January 7, 2016
Bobby Farnham	Interference against St. Louis Blues forward Dmitrij Jaskin during NHL Game No. 636 in St. Louis on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, at 11:50 of the third period.	4 games	$12,365.60	January 13, 2016
Jordin Tootoo	Diving/Embellishment during NHL Game No. 583 in Detroit on Monday, January 4, 2016, at 9:39 of the third period.	—	$2,000.00	January 14, 2016

Awards and honours

Awards

Regular Season

Player	Award	Awarded
Mike Cammalleri	NHL Third Star of the Week	December 7, 2015
Cory Schneider	NHL All-Star game selection	January 6, 2016
Lee Stempniak	NHL Second Star of the Week	January 25, 2016

Milestones

Regular season

Player	Milestone	Reached
Sergei Kalinin	1st career NHL game	October 9, 2015
Brian O'Neill	1st career NHL game	October 10, 2015
Cory Schneider	100th career NHL win	October 22, 2015
Adam Larsson	200th career NHL game	October 24, 2015
Segei Kalinin	1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point	October 24, 2015
Bobby Farnham	1st career NHL goal 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point	October 31, 2015
Stephen Gionta	200th career NHL game	November 3, 2015
Segei Kalinin	1st career NHL goal	November 8, 2015
Kyle Palmieri	100th career NHL point	November 8, 2015
Jacob Josefson	200th career NHL game	November 22, 2015
Tyler Kennedy	200th career NHL point	December 3, 2015

Transactions

The Devils have been involved in the following transactions during the 2015–16 season.

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
June 27, 2015 (2015-06-27)	To Anaheim Ducks FLA's 2nd-round pick in 2015 Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2016	To New Jersey Devils Kyle Palmieri
June 27, 2015 (2015-06-27)	To Ottawa Senators 2nd-round pick in 2015	To New Jersey Devils DAL's 2nd-round pick in 2015 4th-round pick in 2016
October 6, 2015 (2015-10-06)	To Los Angeles Kings Conditional 7th-round pick in 2017	To New Jersey Devils Brian O'Neill
February 29, 2016 (2016-02-29)	To Boston Bruins Lee Stempniak	To New Jersey Devils 4th-round pick in 2016 2nd-round pick in 2017
	To Colorado Avalanche Eric Gelinas	To New Jersey Devils 3rd-round pick in 2017
	To Montreal Canadiens Stefan Matteau	To New Jersey Devils Devante Smith-Pelly
June 10, 2016 (2016-06-10)	To Florida Panthers Graham Black Paul Thompson	To New Jersey Devils Marc Savard 2nd-round pick in 2018

Free agents acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01)	John Moore	Arizona Coyotes	3 years, $5 million
July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01)	Paul Thompson	Albany Devils	2 years, $1.15 million
July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01)	Jim O'Brien	Hershey Bears	1 year, $575,000
July 3, 2015 (2015-07-03)	Marc-Andre Gragnani	SC Bern	1 year, $575,000
July 3, 2015 (2015-07-03)	Yann Danis	Hartford Wolf Pack	1 year, $575,000
September 8, 2015 (2015-09-08)	Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond	Pittsburgh Penguins	1 year, $575,000
September 10, 2015 (2015-09-10)	David Schlemko	Calgary Flames	1 year, $625,000
September 17, 2015 (2015-09-17)	Jiri Tlusty	Winnipeg Jets	1 year, $800,000
October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03)	Lee Stempniak	Winnipeg Jets	1 year, $850,000
October 5, 2015 (2015-10-05)	Ken Appleby	Oshawa Generals	3 years, entry-level contract
March 8, 2016 (2016-03-08)	Nick Lappin	Brown University	2 years, entry-level contract
May 27, 2016 (2016-05-27)	Yohann Auvitu	HIFK	1 year

Free agents lost

Date	Player	New team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
July 2, 2015 (2015-07-02)	Peter Harrold	St. Louis Blues	1 year, $800,000
July 2, 2015 (2015-07-02)	Joe Whitney	New York Islanders	1 year, $750,000
September 17, 2015 (2015-09-17)	Steve Bernier	New York Islanders	1 year, $750,000
September 28, 2015 (2015-09-28)	Mark Fraser	Ottawa Senators	1 year, $800,000
October 7, 2015 (2015-10-07)	Scott Gomez	St. Louis Blues	1 year, $575,000
November 6, 2015 (2015-11-06)	Martin Havlat	St. Louis Blues	1 year, $600,000
November 24, 2015 (2015-11-24)	Dainius Zubrus	San Jose Sharks	1 year, $600,000

Claimed via waivers

Player	Previous team	Date	Ref
Bobby Farnham	Pittsburgh Penguins	October 26, 2015
David Warsofsky	Pittsburgh Penguins	February 29, 2016

Lost via waivers

Player

New team

Date

Ref

Players released

Date	Player	Via	Ref
July 30, 2015 (2015-07-30)	Dainius Zubrus	Buyout

Lost via retirement

Date	Player	Ref
June 30, 2015 (2015-06-30)	Scott Clemmensen
September 2, 2015 (2015-09-02)	Bryce Salvador

Player signings

Date	Player	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01)	Blake Coleman	2 years, entry-level contract
July 13, 2015 (2015-07-13)	John Quenneville	3 years, entry-level contract
July 14, 2015 (2015-07-14)	Eric Gelinas	2 years, $3.15 million
July 17, 2015 (2015-07-17)	Stefan Matteau	2 years, $1.225 million
July 18, 2015 (2015-07-18)	Seth Helgeson	2 years, $1.175 million
July 27, 2015 (2015-07-27)	Adam Larsson	6 years, $25 million
August 11, 2015 (2015-08-11)	Pavel Zacha	3 years, $2.78 million entry-level contract
December 30, 2015 (2015-12-30)	Mackenzie Blackwood	3 years, entry-level contract
April 8, 2016 (2016-04-08)	Steven Santini	3 years, entry-level contract
April 8, 2016 (2016-04-08)	Miles Wood	3 years, entry-level contract
April 8, 2016 (2016-04-08)	Joshua Jacobs	3 years, entry-level contract
June 1, 2016 (2016-06-01)	Brandon Baddock	3 years, entry-level contract

Draft picks

See also: List of New Jersey Devils draft picks

Below are the New Jersey Devils' selections at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 26–27, 2015, at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.

Round	#	Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	6	Pavel Zacha	C		Sarnia Sting (OHL)
2	42	Mackenzie Blackwood	G		Barrie Colts (OHL)
3	67	Blake Speers	C		Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
4	97	Colton White	D		Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
6	157	Brett Seney	LW		Merrimack College (Hockey East)

Draft notes

• The New Jersey Devils' second-round pick went to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a trade on June 27, 2015 that sent Dallas' second-round pick in 2015 (42nd overall) and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2015 or 2016 to New Jersey in exchange for this pick.
• The Dallas Stars' second-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on June 27, 2015 that sent a second-round pick in 2015 (36th overall) to Ottawa in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2015 or 2016 and this pick.

  Ottawa previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on July 1, 2014 that sent Jason Spezza and Ludwig Karlsson to the Stars in exchange for Alex Chiasson, Nick Paul, Alex Guptill and this pick.

• The New Jersey Devils' fifth-round pick went to the St. Louis Blues as the result of a trade on March 22, 2013 that sent Matt D'Agostini and a seventh-round pick in 2015 to New Jersey in exchange for this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – If D'Agostini is not re-signed by New Jersey then St. Louis will receive a fifth-round pick in 2015 – was converted on July 10, 2013.
• The New Jersey Devils' seventh-round pick went the Los Angeles Kings as the result of a trade on June 30, 2013 that sent a seventh-round pick in 2013 to New Jersey in exchange for this pick.

References