Plus-Minus: There are times when analytics feel like a direct response to this rice-paper-thin evaluation of a player’s value. For decades, players were defined by how many goals for and against occurred when they were on the ice at even strength. Which meant that a player could be 200 feet away from a goal being scored, picking his nose while whistling “Brass Bonanza,” having affected the play as much as you or I had, and he received a plus or a minus. Yes, when you have extremes like a plus-30 or a minus-30, something can be gleaned from it. But being a slightly minus player tells us
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