Teams with the worst records that qualified for NHL playoffs: Who was the lowest-seeded?

Not every NHL playoff team arrived with momentum. In certain seasons, the standings told an uncomfortable story: clubs with more losses than wins advancing while others packed up early, victims of divisional math rather than on-ice results.

Some cases emerged from expansion imbalance, weak divisions, and formats that favored survival over excellence. The records were ugly, the margins thin, and the logic often questionable, with losing streaks telling the real story.

Years later, those playoff entries still stand out. They weren’t memorable for long runs or trophies, but for how low the bar once sat—and how the postseason occasionally welcomed teams that barely held it together.

The worst records ever to make the NHL playoffs

Vancouver Canucks (1978–79)

The 1978–79 Vancouver Canucks are a fascinating snapshot of how league structure can rewrite competitive fairness. In an era when nearly two-thirds of NHL clubs qualified for the postseason, they managed to earn a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot despite a 25-42-13 record (63 points).

Their qualification was less about success and more about the Smythe Division’s collective weakness; Vancouver’s point total was second only to division mate Chicago, whose own record was barely above .500.

On ice, they were an inconsistent outfit. Though Ron Sedlbauer cracked 40 goals and served as a rare bright spot, the team’s –74 goal differential reflected defensive instability and offensive stagnation against stronger opponents.

In the playoffs, Vancouver proved why their regular season results weren’t a fluke: they were eliminated in the preliminary round by the Philadelphia Flyers in a best-of-three, managing just one win before bowing out.

Oakland Seals (1969–70)

If early NHL expansion had a poster child for competitive futility, it would be the 1969–70 Oakland Seals. In just their third season, they limped to a 22–40–14 record (58 points) and finished dead last among playoff qualifiers — a team that, under modern formats, would have been nowhere near postseason contention.

But the context is key: the NHL’s post-1967 expansion divisions were notoriously uneven. Teams simply didn’t have enough talent depth to keep up with longstanding franchises, and the West Division in particular was an early battleground for instability.

Oakland’s offense sputtered (169 goals scored), their defense was porous (243 allowed), and the club’s roster featured few impact stars. Ted Hampson led the club with just 52 points, and Carol Vadnais paced the team with 24 goals — modest totals even for that era.

Their playoff run was short and bitter: swept 4-0 by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the quarterfinals. But the Seals’ mere presence in the playoffs remains one of the more surreal snapshots of how expansion growing pains could catapult underachieving teams into April hockey.

Los Angeles Kings (1968–69)

Two years before the Oakland Seals’ playoff appearance, the Los Angeles Kings of 1968–69 embodied the same paradox: a club with poor results but postseason access. Their 24–42–10 record and 58 points look bleak on paper, yet Los Angeles finished fourth in the West Division and qualified for playoff action.

This was a formative NHL era, shortly after the league doubled in size. Competitive balance hadn’t caught up to rapid expansion, and divisions like the West were composed of teams still finding their identities.

In a twist of fate, this Kings squad actually won a playoff game and pushed their quarterfinal series to seven games, an unexpected achievement given their regular season struggles, before an eventual defeat.

Toronto Maple Leafs (1987–88)

1987–88 Toronto Maple Leafs (Source: NHL Auctions)

When discussing the worst teams to make the NHL playoffs, no story hits harder than the 1987–88 Toronto Maple Leafs. This club finished the season 21–49–10, accumulating just 52 points — the fewest of any team ever to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a full season since the modern era began.

Toronto’s plight was a perfect storm of structural advantage and on-ice ineptitude. They were part of the Norris Division, widely viewed as the weakest in the league that year, and took advantage of a format that advanced four teams from each division regardless of overall performance.

Statistically, this Maple Leafs team was a sieve defensively (outscored 345–273) and scraped out wins only sporadically. Eddie Olczyk’s 42 goals were a lone offensive bright spot in a season most fans would rather forget.

They clinched their playoff berth by a hair, edging the Minnesota North Stars by a single point, only to be dispatched in the opening round. Even decades later, the ’87-88 Leafs are the benchmark for how low a seasonal win total can be and still result in playoff hockey.

Which teams have the most losses in the NHL playoffs?