Fittingly, there are pros and cons, positives and negatives to the use of the plus/minus stat in hockey. It's the type of stat that if you want to talk positively about a player, you use, and if you want to avoid criticism, you avoid talking about the stat.
Plus/minus is one of hockey’s most debated stats. The metric tracks the goal differential when a player is on the ice at even strength or shorthanded — a “plus” when their team scores, a “minus” when they’re scored against. While it doesn’t account for all variables (quality of teammates, zone starts, matchups), consistently strong numbers often point to a player who directly or indirectly is influencing his team's performance positively.