The Nordiques, led by their new captain Peter Stastny, captured their first division title since the 1976–77 season but were swept of the first round of the playoffs by the Hartford Whalers.
The Nordiques had a pretty quiet off-season, with the only trade during the summer was acquiring John Anderson from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Brad Maxwell.
Quebec also made a trade late in the pre-season, as the Nordiques acquired Gilbert Delorme from the St. Louis Blues for Bruce Bell.
Quebec returned to their winning ways, going unbeaten in their next eight games, and found themselves battling with the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens for first place in the Adams Division.
The Nordiques fell into another slump, losing five of their next six games, however, the team then won seven in a row to improve to 25–15–2, and had a narrow two point lead over the Canadiens for first in the division.
In goal, Clint Malarchuk emerged as the starter, as he won 26 games, a 3.21 GAA, and four shutouts, all team highs, in his first full NHL season.