More skater stats
NHL Plus/Minus Leaders
2017-18All situationsThrough 82 team games
William Karlsson (VGK) leads NHL skaters with 49 +/- in 2017-18, ahead of 
Jonathan Marchessault (VGK) (36).
Leaders: Plus/Minus, 2017-18
- 1stWilliam KarlssonVGK · 82 GP49Share
- 2ndJonathan MarchessaultVGK · 77 GP36Share
3rdSean CouturierPHI · 82 GP34Share
4thYanni GourdeTBL · 82 GP34Share
5thJosh MansonANA · 80 GP34Share
The full ranked table, with filters, follows.
What Plus/Minus measures
This board ranks every NHL skater by plus/minus, regular season only. Pick any season back to 2017-18 above the table. Goals for minus goals against while on the ice (power-play goals for excluded).
Plus/minus is noisy and team-driven; on-ice goal and expected-goal shares at 5-on-5 tell you more about the player.
Plus/minus adds one for every even-strength or shorthanded goal the team scores with the player on the ice and subtracts one for every one allowed. Power-play goals for do not count; empty-net goals do. Plus/minus is still a category in many leagues but it mostly reflects team quality and goaltending. The per-60 view helps compare players with different minutes. In 2017-18, 890 skaters qualify for this board; the median is 0 and William Karlsson leads at 49.
Plus/Minus leaderboard
| # | Player | Team | +/- | GP | Per game | PTS | G | Pctl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William KarlssonFVGK | VGK | 49 | 82 | 0.60 | 78 | 43 | 100 | 20%▲1 |
| 2 | Jonathan MarchessaultFVGK | VGK | 36 | 77 | 0.47 | 75 | 27 | 100 | 19% |
| 3 | Sean CouturierFPHI | PHI | 34 | 82 | 0.41 | 76 | 31 | 100 | 8.3% |
| 4 | Yanni GourdeFTBL | TBL | 34 | 82 | 0.41 | 64 | 25 | 100 | 4.9% |
| 5 | Josh MansonDANA | ANA | 34 | 80 | 0.42 | 37 | 7 | 100 | 44%▲7.6 |
| 6 |  Victor HedmanDTBL | TBL | 32 | 77 | 0.42 | 63 | 17 | 99 | 84%▼1 |
| 7 |  Dustin BrownFLAK | LAK | 31 | 81 | 0.38 | 61 | 28 | 99 | — |
| 8 |  Reilly SmithFVGK | VGK | 31 | 67 | 0.46 | 60 | 22 | 99 | — |
| 9 |  Anton StralmanDTBL | TBL | 29 | 80 | 0.36 | 18 | 4 | 99 | — |
| 10 |  Claude GirouxFPHI | PHI | 28 | 82 | 0.34 | 102 | 34 | 99 | 32%▲0.9 |
| 11 |  Patrik NemethDCOL | COL | 27 | 68 | 0.40 | 15 | 3 | 99 | — |
| 12 |  Filip ForsbergFNSH | NSH | 27 | 67 | 0.40 | 64 | 26 | 99 | 99%▼0.6 |
| 13 |  Brayden McNabbDVGK | VGK | 26 | 76 | 0.34 | 15 | 5 | 99 | 42%▲2.8 |
| 14 |  Ryan EllisDNSH | NSH | 26 | 44 | 0.59 | 32 | 9 | 99 | — |
| 15 |  Mattias EkholmDNSH | NSH | 25 | 81 | 0.31 | 34 | 10 | 98 | 68% |
| 16 |  Brad MarchandFBOS | BOS | 25 | 68 | 0.37 | 85 | 34 | 98 | 65%▼2.8 |
| 17 |  Auston MatthewsFTOR | TOR | 25 | 62 | 0.40 | 63 | 34 | 98 | 99% |
| 18 |  Roman JosiDNSH | NSH | 24 | 75 | 0.32 | 53 | 14 | 98 | 98% |
| 19 |  Matt NiskanenDWSH | WSH | 24 | 68 | 0.35 | 29 | 7 | 98 | — |
| 20 |  Drew DoughtyDLAK | LAK | 23 | 82 | 0.28 | 60 | 10 | 98 | 18%▼1.9 |
| 21 |  Artemi PanarinFCBJ | CBJ | 23 | 81 | 0.28 | 82 | 27 | 98 | 96%▼1.6 |
| 22 |  Jonas BrodinDMIN | MIN | 23 | 73 | 0.32 | 21 | 6 | 98 | 7.9%▲2.9 |
| 23 |  Alex KillornFTBL | TBL | 22 | 82 | 0.27 | 47 | 15 | 97 | 5.1% |
| 24 |  Zach HymanFTOR | TOR | 22 | 82 | 0.27 | 40 | 15 | 97 | 94% |
| 25 |  Zdeno CharaDBOS | BOS | 22 | 73 | 0.30 | 24 | 7 | 97 | — |
Frequently asked questions
Who leads the NHL in Plus/Minus in 2017-18?
William Karlsson leads with 49. The median of the 890 qualified skaters is 0.
Which defenseman leads in Plus/Minus in 2017-18?
Josh Manson leads NHL defensemen with 34; the top forward is William Karlsson at 49.
How is Plus/Minus calculated?
Goals for minus goals against while on the ice (power-play goals for excluded). Regular season only, from the NHL's official game data.
How reliable is Plus/Minus?
Plus/minus is noisy and team-driven; on-ice goal and expected-goal shares at 5-on-5 tell you more about the player.