In order to improve your +/- rating, you should first understand how it is calculated. The basics are that a player gets a plus (+) if they’re on the ice for a goal scored by their team at even strength and a minus (-) if scored against. Power play goals do not garner any +/-, nor do PKers who give up a power play goal. However, if a shorthanded goal is scored, the PKers get a +1 each and the PP squad will all take a -1 each.

If you need a more in-depth explanation, head on over to the Plus/minus article at Wikipedia.

The +/- stat is somewhat unpredictable but there are some simple things you can look for, in terms of what players will have the best chance of having a good +/- rating.

First thing to look for is what team a player plays for. A “good” team that scores a lot of goals (especially even strength) will have a much higher likelihood of its players having a good +/- rating over the course of the entire season. Also, look at the goal differential, in terms of how many goals are scored vs. given up. Teams like Detroit and Ottawa have traditionally been very good about having high +/- ratings over the past few seasons because they have been very high scoring teams and won a lot of games because of it.

Second thing to look at is the player’s history of +/- ratings. Obviously, this is tough to gauge if the player is a rookie or a similarly inexperienced player in the NHL. Players who frequently have high +/- are the stalwart D-men for their respective teams and also simply players who score a lot. Guys like Lidstrom and Heatley, who have been perennial plus/minus leaders, fulfill these criteria.

Current +/- leaders are as follows:

1. Alexander Semin (LW): +17
2. Willie Mitchell (D): +16
3. Simon Gagne (LW): +15
4. Alexander Ovechkin (LW): +14
5. Mike Richards (C): +13
6. Aaron Johnson (D): +13
7. Kris Versteeg (LW): +12
8. Zach Parise (LW): +12
9. Marc Savard (C): +12
10. Patrick Marleau (LW): +11

As you can see from above, most of the top +/- guys at this point include a lot of the top scorers from around the league.

Another way to try and guess who will help you out in the +/- category is if they’re a prolific shorthanded scorer in addition to being on a good team and being a high scorer in general. Three of the leaders on the list, Gagne, Richards, and Versteeg each have at least 3 SHP already and that does play a small part in having a good +/- rating, simply because of the way it’s calculated, as stated above. If you’re a good scorer and play a lot of PK time, you can only help your +/- with a shorthanded point and never hurt it, even when your team gives up a power play goal.

Keep an eye on where/when your player does most of their scoring. Do they score mostly even-strength like Thomas Vanek did during 2006-07 when he led the league in +/- with a +47 rating or are they more like Teemu Selanne this season, who is the current leader in power play goal scoring? Even though Selanne is putting up plenty of points with 22 in 23 games, he’s got 11 PPGs and does most of his damage with the man advantage, which explains his -4 rating at the moment. Also, simply having a lot of ice time on a high scoring team can help overall +/-, because they’ll frequently be on-ice to take a +1 each time their team scores at even strength; this can partially help explain some defensemen’s +/- ratings, especially if they’re a very good and top scoring D-man like Lidstrom, even while facing tough competition.

The plus/minus category is a pain for a lot of people. In terms of +/- as a regular NHL statistic (not regarding fantasy), others go as far as saying it’s a nonsense category, because there are so many things that go into determining who is a good defensive player–which a lot of people use +/- to gauge–and who isn’t. Most fantasy leagues do utilize the +/- category though. It’s somewhat unpredictable, but you can draft for the category, unlike some other more luck-based categories.