Kammala wannan magana: Bayan sun shiga wasan karshe na shekaru bakwai a jere, daga 1981 zuwa 1987, Nordiques sun fara raguwa. Daga 1987 <unk> 88 zuwa 1991 <unk> 92, ƙungiyar ta gama ƙarshe a sashin su kowane kakar, kuma sau uku daga cikin waɗannan lokutan sun gama ƙarshe a gasar. Wannan ya hada da mummunan kakar wasa ta 12 a shekarar 1989-90 wanda har yanzu shine mafi muni a tarihin kungiyar. A sakamakon haka, ƙungiyar ta sami jerin zaɓuka na farko na gaba ɗaya, wanda aka yi amfani da shi don zaɓar Mats Sundin (1989), Owen Nolan (1990) da Eric Lindros (
1991) ta yi magana. Lindros ya bayyana a fili cewa ba ya son yin wasa da Nordiques, har ya zuwa yanzu bai sa rigar ƙungiyar don hotunan 'yan jarida ba, kawai yana riƙe da shi lokacin da aka gabatar masa da shi. A kan shawarar mahaifiyarsa, ya ƙi sanya hannu kan kwangila kuma ya fara riƙewa wanda ya wuce shekara guda. A ranar 30 ga Yuni, 1992, an yi ciniki da shi zuwa Philadelphia Flyers a musayar 'yan wasa biyar, haƙƙoƙin dan wasan Sweden mai suna Peter Forsberg, zaɓaɓɓu na zagaye na farko da dala miliyan 15. Kasuwancin Eric Lindros ya juya Nordiques mai mutuwa ya zama dan takarar Stanley Cup kusan dare ɗaya, kuma a baya ana ganinsa a matsayin ɗayan yarjejeniyar da ba ta dace ba a tarihin wasanni. A kakar wasa ta farko bayan cinikin, 1992-93, Nordiques sun kai wasan karshe a karon farko cikin shekaru shida. Shekaru biyu bayan haka, sun lashe Rukunin Arewa maso Gabas kuma suna da na biyu mafi kyawun rikodin kakar wasa a lokacin lokacin kullewa.