Former Senator receives high praise for his outstanding talent in 2010s

The 2010s had good and bad moments for the Ottawa Senators. The Senators made the playoffs five times from 2010-2019, including one Conference Final appearance in 2017. Arguably the best thing that came out of the decade for the Senators was the emergence of defenseman Erik Karlsson.

When the Senators drafted Karlsson 15th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, some wondered how he would fit in for being a mid-first round pick. However, Karlsson became a staple of the Senators for the first nine seasons of his career.

In the first nine seasons of his career, Karlsson's impact would be major on the Senators. What some may not realize is Karlsson's impact was so impactful it received high praise for his talent.

Erik Karlsson named fifth best player from the 2010s

Bleacher Report's Lyle Fitzsimmons published an article titled "Sidney Crosby and the NHL's 15 Best Players From the 2010s." Fitzsimmons named Karlsson the fifth-best player in the 2010s behind Patrick Kane, Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid and Crosby.

For Karlsson to make the top five as a defenseman, is very impressive. Karlsson was ahead of players that were just as good as him. Some of those players included Steven Stamkos, Henrik Lundqvist, Carey Price and even Evgeni Malkin.

"The league's most prolific blue-liner from 2010 to 2019," Fitzsimmons said.

There's no doubt, Karlsson deserves high praise for how great he was in the 2010s. Karlsson played a total of 696 games from 2010-2019. Karlsson recorded 585 points, with 453 being assists. 2011-12 was the first season Karlsson put the NHL on notice.

Karlsson won the 2012 Norris Trophy with recording 78 points at just 21 years old. If Karlsson didn't have a stellar season, the chances of the Senators making the 2012 playoffs would've dropped.

After only playing in 17 of the 48-game season in 2012-13, Karlsson picked up where he left off. Karlsson led the Senators with 74 points and would take home the silver medal for Team Sweden at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

In 2015, Karlsson won his second Norris Trophy with 66 points and helped the Senators return to the playoffs. In 2016 and 2017, Karlsson finished second in Norris Trophy voting. Karlsson led the NHL in assists for the 2015-16 season and posted a career-high 82 points.

2017-18 would be Karlsson's final season with Ottawa, as he was traded to the San Jose Sharks prior to the 2018-19 season. The trade broke a lot of Senator fans' hearts seeing the captain get traded. To close out the decade with the Sharks, Karlsson recorded a 45-point season and helped the Sharks reach the 2019 Western Conference Final.

In the 2010s, Karlsson recorded one 80-point season, three 70-point seasons and two 60-point seasons. Karlsson was a four-time All-NHL First Team and a six-time All-Star.

Some fans might not realized how talented Karlsson was in the 2010s. With his accomplishments, it's easy to see why he was able to make the top five of the best players in the NHL of the 2010s.