The plus/minus statistic is a silly one. It tries to paint a picture of an NHL skater’s value outside of scoring goals and assists, specifically if they’re on the ice for more goals scored than goals allowed, but it’s extremely limited. If you ever hear an argument made and plus/minus is the leading talking point, take it with a grain of salt.
With that being said, it’s always interesting seeing who is at the top and bottom when it comes to plus/minus in the NHL. Since it only factors in even-strength scoring, it’s fascinating seeing just how high and low the totals can go.
Steve Ott was in the heart of the race for the worst plus/minus rating in 2013-14. Ott left the Sabres with a (-26) after 59 games. Shifting to the Blues helped his plus/minus, right? Not exactly. Ott was a (-12) in 23 games after the trade. His (-12) with the Blues was the worst total on the team.
Overall, Ott ended the year with an ugly (-38) rating. He narrowly missed out having the worst rating in the NHL, coming in second to Alexander Edler (-39) of the Vancouver Canucks. Alexander Ovechkin was also in the mix with a (-35).
Ott joked about losing the title for worst plus/minus:
It was a helluva race but congratz to Edler for taking @ovi8 and myself down! Gold jacket Green jacket who gives a shit.
— Steve Ott (@otterN9NE) April 14, 2014
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