The 2015–16 NHL season was the 99th season of operation (98th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). Thirty teams competed in 82-game regular season schedules from October 7, 2015 to April 10, 2016.

The 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs following the regular season began on April 13 and ended June 12, with the Pittsburgh Penguins defeating the San Jose Sharks in six games to win their fourth Stanley Cup. None of the seven Canadian-based teams qualified for the playoffs; this was the second season in league history that the playoff field consisted of only United States-based teams. The only other time in league history that no Canadian teams qualified for the postseason was in the 1969–70 season.

League business

Salary cap In December 2014, commissioner Gary Bettman told teams that he projected the salary cap to increase to at least US$73 million for the 2015–16 season, citing the fluctuating value of the Canadian dollar. The cap was ultimately set at US$71.4 million.

Rule changes Rule changes approved by the NHL Board of Governors on June 24, 2015, include: 3-on-3 overtime: Overtime during the regular season will now have three skaters per side, instead of the 4-on-4 overtime system that had been used since 1999–2000. However, if there are carry-over penalties from the third period to overtime, a side is still guaranteed to have at least three skaters and the man-advantage will be adjusted accordingly (e.g. a 5-on-4 power play at the end of regulation will be converted to a 4-on-3 one at the start of overtime). The Board of Governors implemented 3-on-3 overtime to help decrease shootouts. Jason Garrison of the Tampa Bay Lightning scored the first 3-on-3 overtime goal on October 9, 2015 for a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Expanded video review with coach's challenge: Video review has been expanded to include a coach's challenge, similar to the system used by the NFL since 1999: Like the NFL, each challenge will require the use of a team's timeout. If the challenge is successful, the timeout is restored. Teams may only challenge the following situations: Whether a goal called on the ice should have been disallowed because the attacking team was offside or interfered with the goaltender; Whether a disallowed goal, called on grounds of goalkeeper interference, should instead be overturned because either: there was no actual contact between the attacking player and the goalie the attacking player was actually pushed or fouled by a defender into the goalie the attacking player's position in the crease did not actually impair or impact the goalie's play Inside the final minute of regulation, and during overtime, all reviews that would otherwise be subject to the coach's challenge will instead be initiated by the NHL's Situation Room in Toronto. All reviews that are subject to the coach's challenge will be conducted by the on-ice officials on an ice-level tablet monitor instead of the Situation Room. All reviews involving whether the puck entered the net will still be initiated by the Situation Room. New faceoff rule: During faceoffs not at center-ice, the player who is on the defensive side of the red line will now be required to put his stick down first. For faceoffs at the center-ice dot, the visiting player will still be the first one to place down his stick. This rule change, giving the attacking team a slight advantage during faceoffs (as opposed to giving this advantage to the home team all the time), is intended to help increase puck-possession time and potentially more goals.

Entry draft The 2015 NHL entry draft was held on June 26–27, 2015, at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Connor McDavid was selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers.

Expansion bids

For the second time since 2000, the league ended a moratorium on potential expansion teams and began accepting bids for potential expansion teams that, if approved, would begin play in the 2017–18 season. During the 2015 offseason, two ownership groups offered bids: Quebecor, which planned on reviving the Quebec Nordiques at a new arena in Quebec City, Quebec, and Bill Foley's Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, which intended to place an expansion team at a new arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The league concluded the vetting process on September 4, 2015, with a final decision to follow in June 2016.

Change in jersey supplier On September 15, 2015, the NHL announced that Adidas would replace Reebok as the supplier of all team jerseys beginning in the 2017–18 season.

Coaching changes + Coaching changesOffseason Team 2014–15 coach 2015–16 coach Story / accomplishments Buffalo Sabres Ted Nolan Dan Bylsma Nolan was fired on April 12, 2015. In his second stint with the club, he compiled a record of 40–87–17 over the course of 1¾ seasons, both of which ended with the team in last place in the league. On May 28, Bylsma succeeded after serving on the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2009 to 2014. Detroit Red Wings Mike Babcock Jeff Blashill Babcock's contract with the Red Wings was to expire July 1, 2015; the Red Wings granted his request to pursue employment elsewhere on May 8, after failing to come to terms on a contract. In ten seasons with the Red Wings, Babcock accumulated a record of 458–223–15, made the playoffs every year, and won the Stanley Cup in 2008. Babcock was highly sought after on the open market, and on May 20, 2015, after several teams courted him, Babcock signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Red Wings promoted Jeff Blashill, who coached the Red Wings' minor league affiliate the Grand Rapids Griffins. Once the Griffins completed their playoff run, the Red Wings retained Blashill's rights and did not allow any NHL team to interview him for openings. Edmonton Oilers Dallas Eakins,Todd Nelson* Todd McLellanEakins, in 1½ seasons with the Oilers, compiled a record of 36–63–14 and was fired on December 15, 2014. Nelson completed the season with a record of 17–25–9, failing to reach the playoffs. On May 19, McLellan succeeded after serving seven seasons as a head coach with the San Jose Sharks. New Jersey Devils Peter DeBoer,Scott Stevens*,Adam Oates* John Hynes DeBoer, in 3½ seasons with the Devils, compiled a record of 114–93–41 before being fired on December 26, 2014. The Devils used interim head coaches Scott Stevens and Adam Oates for the remainder of the season. DeBoer joined the San Jose Sharks. On June 2, 2015, Hynes succeeds after serving on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League as a head coach from 2009 to 2010. With this hiring, he became the youngest coach in the NHL at the age of 40. Philadelphia Flyers Craig Berube Dave Hakstol Berube was fired on April 17, 2015, after accumulating a record of 75–58–28 in two seasons. In his first season, he took the Flyers to the playoffs, where they lost in the First Round. The team missed the playoffs in Berube's second season at the helm. Hakstol, whom the Flyers hired on May 18, 2015, had been head coach of the University of North Dakota men's ice hockey team for the previous eleven years. San Jose Sharks Todd McLellan Peter DeBoer McLellan was San Jose's most successful coach to date and compiled a regular season record of 311–163–66 over seven seasons. However, the San Jose Sharks and Todd McLellan mutually agreed to part ways on April 20, 2015, after failing to make the playoffs for the first time in his tenure. On May 28, 2015, the Sharks announced that they had hired Peter DeBoer. Toronto Maple Leafs Randy Carlyle,Peter Horachek* Mike Babcock Carlyle began the season as the head coach, but was fired on January 6, 2015, after posting a 21–16–3 record through 40 games. In 3½ seasons with the Leafs, he compiled a record of 91–78–19. Horachek finished the season with a record of 9–28–5 and was dismissed on April 12, 2015. On May 20, 2015, the Maple Leafs signed Babcock to an eight-year, US$50,000,000 contract (the largest for a coach in NHL history).In-season Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach Story / accomplishments Columbus Blue Jackets Todd Richards John Tortorella Richards was fired on October 21, 2015, after posting a 0–7–0 record through 7 games this season. He had been named interim head coach on January 9, 2012, before being promoted to the franchise's sixth head coach on May 14, 2012. Richards posted a record of 127–112–21 in 260 games. The team made the postseason once under his tenure, going 2–4, including the team's first-ever postseason win on April 19, 2014. On October 21, 2015, the Blue Jackets signed Tortorella, previously head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, to become its next head coach.Pittsburgh PenguinsMike JohnstonMike Sullivan Johnston was fired on December 12, 2015, after posting a 15–10–3 record through 28 games this season. He had served as the head coach since the start of the 2014–15 season. He left with a record of 58–37–15 in 110 games. The team made the postseason once under his tenure despite going 1–4. On December 12, Sullivan who was coaching the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League at the time, received the call for the head coaching vacancy with the main club.Minnesota WildMike YeoJohn Torchetti* Yeo was fired on February 13, 2016, after posting a 23–22–10 record through 55 games this season. He had served as the head coach since the start of the 2011–12 season. He left with a record of 173–132–44 in 349 games and made the playoffs three times despite going 11–17. On February 13, Torchetti who was coaching the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League at the time, became the interim head coach for the main club.

(*) Indicates interim.

Arena changes The 2015–16 season marked the New York Islanders' move from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Edmonton Oilers played their final season at Rexall Place. They moved to the newly constructed Rogers Place in the 2016–17 season.

Regular season The regular season began on October 7, 2015, and ended on April 10, 2016. The playoffs began on Wednesday, April 13, 2016.

Winter Classic

The 2016 NHL Winter Classic was held on January 1, 2016. The game, the eighth Winter Classic, saw the Montreal Canadiens defeat the Boston Bruins, 5–1, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, a significant event in one of the NHL's best-known rivalries. A Bruins and Canadiens alumni game was also played on December 31, 2015. The Boston Pride women's professional hockey team played before the alumni game against Les Canadiennes of the Canadian Women's Hockey League to a 1–1 tie in the first ever Women's Winter Classic.

Stadium Series

There were two Stadium Series games planned. The first one featured the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday, February 21, 2016, where the Wild defeated the Blackhawks 6–1. The other game was the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche at Coors Field on Saturday, February 27, 2016, where the Red Wings defeated the Avalanche 5–3.

All–Star Game

The 61st National Hockey League All-Star Game was held in Nashville, Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, on January 31, 2016. The All-Star Game adopted a new, three-on-three tournament format; there were three 20-minute games, with four All-Star teams based on the league's four divisions. The Atlantic Division All-Stars faced the Metropolitan Division All-Stars, while the Central Division All-Stars played against the Pacific Division All-Stars. The winners of these two games then met in an All-Star Game Final. Had a tie remained after 20 minutes, then it would have immediately gone to a shootout to determine the winner; there would be no standard overtime. The Pacific Division All-Stars, led by fan-voted captain and MVP John Scott, won the tournament, beating the Atlantic All-Stars in the finals.

Postponed games