debut on October 11, 2003, registering three minutes of ice time in a 4–0 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Struggling to play his way onto the Canadiens' lineup, he was often made a healthy scratch (non-dressing player) in October before being assigned to the team's minor league affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), by the end of the month. He recorded 48 points over 67 AHL games in 2003–04, ranking fifth in team scoring. Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Higgins automatically remained in Hamilton and improved to 51 points, ranking third among Bulldogs scorers. The following season, as NHL play resumed, Higgins made the Canadiens' roster out of training camp. He scored his first career NHL goal on October 6, 2005, against New York Rangers goalie Kevin Weekes during an away game at Madison Square Garden. The Canadiens won the contest 4–3 in overtime. He finished the season with 23 goals, ranking seventh among league rookies, and 15 assists for a total of 38 points. A month into the 2006–07 season, Higgins suffered a sprained left ankle during a game against the New Jersey Devils. At the time of the injury, on November 4, 2006, he was leading the Canadiens with eight goals. Sidelined for 6 weeks, Higgins was limited to 61 games, though still managed to match his previous season's points total with 22 goals and 16 assists. Set to become a restricted free agent in the off-season, Montreal re-signed Higgins to a two-year, US$3.4 million deal on June 25, 2007. Prior to the start of the 2007–08 season, Higgins was named an alternate captain for the Canadiens. He went on to have a career season with personal bests of 27 goals, 25 assists and 52 points. On November 11, 2008, Higgins recorded his first NHL hat-trick in a 4–0 win over the Ottawa Senators. However, his points total decreased in his fourth NHL campaign with 23 points over 57 games. Rangers, Flames and Panthers (2009–2011) Coming off what was the lowest statistical season of his career, he was traded by the Canadiens, along with Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko and Doug Janik, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Scott Gomez, Tom Pyatt and Michael Busto on June 30, 2009. A restricted free agent at the time of the trade, he agreed to a one-year, US$2.25 contract with the Rangers six days