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 762 NHL players ranked by Regular Season Plus Minus for the 1996-97 regular season. For all skaters and goalies across the league, with full stats and sortable rankings, visit the Players page.
| # | Player | Team | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | ||
| 2 | 43 | ||
| 3 | 38 | ||
| 4 | 38 | ||
| 5 | 37 | ||
| 6 | 36 | ||
| 7 | P. KariyaPaul Kariya 21YLW | 36 | |
| 8 | T. AmonteTony Amonte 25YRW | 35 | |
| 9 | 32 | ||
| 10 | 31 | ||
| 11 | 31 | ||
| 12 | 31 | ||
| 13 | 31 | ||
| 14 | 31 | ||
| 15 | 29 | ||
| 16 | 28 | ||
| 17 | 27 | ||
| 18 | 27 | ||
| 19 | G. AdamsGreg Adams 32YLW | 27 | |
| 20 | 26 | ||
| 21 | 26 | ||
| 22 | 26 | ||
| 23 | 26 | ||
| 24 | 26 | ||
| 25 | 26 | ||
| 26 | 25 | ||
| 27 | 25 | ||
| 28 | 24 | ||
| 29 | 24 | ||
| 30 | 23 | ||
| 31 | 23 | ||
| 32 | 22 | ||
| 33 | 22 | ||
| 34 | J. JagrJaromir Jagr 24YRW | 22 | |
| 35 | 21 | ||
| 36 | 21 | ||
| 37 | 20 | ||
| 38 | 19 | ||
| 39 | 19 | ||
| 40 | T. HarveyTodd Harvey 21YRW | 19 | |
| 41 | 19 | ||
| 42 | 18 | ||
| 43 | 17 | ||
| 44 | D. WardDixon Ward 27YLW | 17 | |
| 45 | 17 | ||
| 46 | 17 | ||
| 47 | 17 | ||
| 48 | 17 | ||
| 49 | 17 | ||
| 50 | 16 |