Plus/minus compares goals for and goals against while the player is on the ice. Higher means the player's team outscored opponents more with him on the ice. Below are the top 558 NHL players ranked by Regular Season Plus Minus for the 1980-81 regular season. For all skaters and goalies across the league, with full stats and sortable rankings, visit the Players page.
| # | Player | Team | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | ||
| 2 | 54 | ||
| 3 | 52 | ||
| 4 | 50 | ||
| 5 | D. TaylorDave Taylor 24YRW | 48 | |
| 6 | 47 | ||
| 7 | 47 | ||
| 8 | 45 | ||
| 9 | 41 | ||
| 10 | 41 | ||
| 11 | 40 | ||
| 12 | 40 | ||
| 13 | 39 | ||
| 14 | M. BossyMike Bossy 23YRW | 38 | |
| 15 | 36 | ||
| 16 | B. HajtBill Hajt 28YD | 36 | |
| 17 | M. NapierMark Napier 23YRW | 34 | |
| 18 | 34 | ||
| 19 | 33 | ||
| 20 | 32 | ||
| 21 | T. CurrieTony Currie 22YRW | 32 | |
| 22 | 30 | ||
| 23 | S. ShuttSteve Shutt 28YLW | 30 | |
| 24 | 29 | ||
| 25 | 27 | ||
| 26 | 27 | ||
| 27 | 27 | ||
| 28 | J. KurriJari Kurri 20YRW | 27 | |
| 29 | 27 | ||
| 30 | 27 | ||
| 31 | B. ProppBrian Propp 21YLW | 26 | |
| 32 | 25 | ||
| 33 | 25 | ||
| 34 | 24 | ||
| 35 | 24 | ||
| 36 | 24 | ||
| 37 | 24 | ||
| 38 | R. LeachReggie Leach 30YRW | 22 | |
| 39 | 22 | ||
| 40 | 22 | ||
| 41 | 22 | ||
| 42 | 21 | ||
| 43 | B. ParkBrad Park 31YD | 21 | |
| 44 | 21 | ||
| 45 | 20 | ||
| 46 | R. HouleRejean Houle 30YLW | 20 | |
| 47 | 20 | ||
| 48 | 20 | ||
| 49 | 20 | ||
| 50 | 19 |