The Seals were hit particularly hard by defections to the new World Hockey Association, dropping 12 points from the previous year and returning to the basement of the West Division.
The Seals had the second worst record in the league, the only team they finished ahead of was the expansion New York Islanders.
[1] Making things even worse was that they finished behind one of the two expansion clubs that season, the Atlanta Flames.
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes †Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Seals.
‡Traded mid-season Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W= Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average The Seals were involved in the following transactions during the 1972–73 season: The Seals did not qualify for the playoffs