Ranking Sidney Crosby and the NHL's 15 Best Players From the 2010s

The news from Pittsburgh is in, and all is right with the hockey world.

Sidney Crosby, if the two-year deal announced Monday is to be his last contract, will finish his NHL career with the same team that drafted him as a fresh-faced teen way back in 2005.

Now 37 years old, "The Kid" has surely panned out as the Penguins' brass hoped, capturing a room full of trophies while also leading the team to its third, fourth and fifth Stanley Cups.

The extended pact will keep him in the Steel City through the end of the 2026-27 season, when he'll be approaching 40 years old and presumably ready to hang up his skates.

The nostalgia prompted by Crosby's news set the B/R hockey team into a brainstorming session in which it debated and discussed the top players—alongside Crosby—from the 10-year stretch that began on January 1, 2010 and extended through December 31, 2019.

Because not all players are tasked with the same roles on the ice, we looked at how the players fared in the league between those dates and how they compared to contemporaries at the same positions and what sort of award hardware they amassed along the way.

Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the comments.

Brent Burns: A workhorse now prepping for his 21st NHL season, Burns spent nearly all of the indicated decade in San Jose and had the most goals and second-most points among defensemen while averaging over 23 minutes of ice time in 737 games.

Claude Giroux: The talented winger's stay in Philadelphia ended at the 2022 trade deadline but he was all-in with the black and orange before that, amassing decade-long assist (506, second) and point (737, fourth) totals that were among the league's best.

Victor Hedman: The big Swede was the second overall pick in the 2009 draft and was an instant factor in Tampa Bay, where he logged nearly 23 minutes per game over 694 games while earning himself a Norris Trophy (2017-18) and two second-team All-Star selections.

Anze Kopitar: Among the greatest players to ever suit up for the Kings, Kopitar arrived from Slovenia and debuted in the NHL in 2006-07. His plus-113 rating across 768 games was eighth among forwards and his 450 assists were seventh in the decade.

Nikita Kucherov: The Russian-born winger wasn't a regular for the whole decade he didn't reach NHL ice until 2013-14 but he still managed to place second among right wingers (Patrick Kane) during the decade with his rate of 1.04 points per game.

Auston Matthews: It took a while for Matthews to arrive, too, but he did so with a bang. The No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft scored 40 goals, earned the Calder Trophy after the 2016-17 season, and wound up with 138 goals in 253 games across three-plus seasons.

Artemi Panarin: He was on three teams in his four-plus seasons during the decade and was a difference-maker at every stop. A Calder Trophy with Chicago in 2015-16 was followed by two successful years in Columbus and the beginning of a still-successful stint in New York.

Leon Draisaitl: Drafted in 2015, Draisaitl just missed out on our list after having his breakout year during the 2018-19 campaign. The Oilers' center tallied 105 points for a then-career-high and has proceeded to reach the 100-point plateau every season except for the shortened 2020-21 campaign ever since.

Pekka Rinne: The winner of the Vezina Trophy in 2018, Rinne was the backbone of a consistently good Predators team in the latter part of the decade. He is the franchise leader in games, starts, wins and shutouts.

Games: 743 (2010-19)

Statistics: 319 goals, 397 assists, 716 points

Awards: NHL All-Rookie Team (2010), NHL First All-Star Team (2015), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

A No. 1 overall pick who was an instant success with the Islanders, Tavares was an unheralded star on Long Island before signing with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018. He eclipsed 30 goals four times in the decade and topped out at 47 in 2018-19.

Games: 719 (2010-19)

Statistics: 98 goals, 214 assists, 312 points

Awards: NHL First All-Star Team (2014), NHL Second All-Star Team (2011, 2012), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2011, 2012)

A presence on the blue line at 6'9", 250 pounds, Chara began his career with the Islanders after they drafted him in 1996 and spent time in Ottawa, too, before spending our decade in Boston, leading all defensemen with a plus-208 rating and hoisting the Cup in 2011.

Games: 747 (2010-19)

Statistics: 62 goals, 367 assists, 429 points

Awards: Conn Smythe Trophy (2014-15), Norris Trophy (2009-10, 2013-14), NHL First All-Star Team (2010, 2014), NHL Second All-Star Team (2017), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2011, 2015, 2017)

A skilled blue-liner adept at moving the puck out of the defensive zone and up to the forwards, Keith was fifth in the decade with 367 assists and sixth in ice time with 26:08 per game. He hoisted the Cup three times with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

Games: 772 (2010-19)

Statistics: 101 goals, 338 assists, 439 points

Awards: Norris Trophy (2015-16), NHL Second All-Star Team (2010, 2015), Olympic All-Star Team (2014), NHL First All-Star Team (2016, 2018), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

Another in a series of workhorse blue-liners, Doughty arrived in Los Angeles after the Kings picked him second overall in 2008. His 772 games were second in the decade and his ice time (26:39 per game) was third on the way to two Stanley Cup hoists in 2012 and 2014.

Games: 734 (2010-19)

Statistics: 266 goals, 361 assists, 627 points

Awards: Conn Smythe Trophy (2009-10), Frank J. Selke Trophy (2012-13), Olympic All-Star Team (2010), Best Forward Olympics (2010), NHL Second All-Star Team (2013), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2011, 2015, 2017)

One of the premier 200-foot players and leaders of the decade, Toews hoisted the Cup three times with powerful Blackhawks teams in 2010, 2013 and 2015. His 26 short-handed points were fourth in the league and his 57.1-percent clip in the face-off dot was elite, too.

Games: 602 (2010-19)

Statistics: 274 goals, 424 assists, 698 points

Awards: Art Ross Trophy (2011-12), Hart Memorial Trophy (2011-12), NHL First All-Star Team (2012), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2012, 2016)

The Russian Robin to Crosby's Canadian Batman, Malkin became a huge piece of the Pittsburgh puzzle after he was selected second overall in the 2004 draft. He earned a Calder, a Conn Smythe and a Cup prior to 2010 and added two more Cups in 2016 and 2017.

Games: 536 (2010-19)

Statistics: 280 wins, .919 save percentage, 2.45 goals-against average, 41 shutouts

Awards: Hart Memorial Trophy (2014-15), Vezina Trophy (2014-15), William M. Jennings Trophy (2014-15), Best Goaltender - Olympics (2014), NHL First All-Star Team (2015), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018)

Only three goalies in the NHL won more games than Price's 280 from 2010-19 and only two made more saves than his 14,546. His 2014-15 was one for the ages in Montreal after he went 44-16-6 in 66 starts with a career-best 1.96 goals-against average for the Canadiens.

Games: 579 (2010-19)

Statistics: 299 wins, .919 save percentage, 2.48 goals-against average, 42 shutouts

Awards: Vezina Trophy (2011-12), NHL First All-Star Team (2012), NHL Second All-Star Team (2013), Olympic All-Star Team (2014), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2011, 2012, 2018, 2019)

The busiest goaltender of the decade, Lundqvist made more starts, won more games, played more minutes and stopped more shots than anyone while ascending to all-time great status with the Rangers. He won 13 games in the 2014 playoffs on the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

Games: 718 (2010-19)

Statistics: 247 goals, 343 assists, 590 points

Awards: Frank J. Selke Trophy (2011-12, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2016-17), King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2012-13), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2015, 2016)

The finest two-way player of his era, Bergeron was a second-round pick in the 2003 draft and won six Selke trophies in his NHL career, including four in our decade. His 13 short-handed goals were ninth in the league and his plus-203 was second among forwards.

Games: 662 (2010-19)

Statistics: 363 goals, 356 assists, 719 points

Awards: Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (2009-10, 2011-12), NHL Second All-Star Team (2011, 2012), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019)

Though he'll likely end his career elsewhere, there's no doubt Stamkos will be remembered as one of Tampa Bay's all-time greats. He spent the decade there after emerging from the 2008 draft and was second in the NHL in goals, power-play goals and game-winning goals.

Games: 696 (2010-19)

Statistics: 132 goals, 453 assists, 585 points

Awards: James Norris Memorial Trophy (2011-12, 2014-15), NHL First All-Star Team (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017), Olympic All-Star Team (2014), Best Defenseman -- Olympics (2014), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

The league's most prolific blue-liner from 2010 to 2019 after his first-round selection in the 2008 draft, Karlsson was first among defensemen in assists, points and even-strength points and was second in power-play points for the decade, winning two Norris trophies.

Games: 742 (2010-19)

Statistics: 315 goals, 487 assists, 802 points

Awards: Art Ross Trophy (2015-16), Conn Smythe Trophy (2012-13), Hart Memorial Trophy (2015-16), NHL First All-Star Team (2010, 2016, 2017), NHL Second All-Star Team (2019), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

The league's most prolific point-scorer from 2010 to 2019 while finishing fourth in both goals and assists, the 5'10" left-shooting right winger was a premier player on a Chicago team that hoisted three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015, including a Cup-winning goal in 2010.

Games: 769 (2010-19)

Statistics: 437 goals, 343 assists, 780 points

Awards: Conn Smythe Trophy (2017-18), Hart Memorial Trophy (2012-13), Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19), NHL First All-Star Team (2010, 2013, 2015, 2019), NHL Second All-Star Team (2011, 2013, 2014, 2016), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2011, 2015, 2017, 2018)

You know you're doing something right when you start closing in on a guy named Gretzky. That's precisely where the "Great 8" finds himself in all-time goals after a decade in which he was 64 goals clear of his nearest pursuer, and he added a Cup with the Capitals in 2018.

Games: 329 (2015-19)

Statistics: 150 goals, 286 assists, 436 points

Awards: Art Ross Trophy (2016-17, 2017-18), Hart Memorial Trophy (2016-17), NHL All-Rookie Team (2016), NHL First All-Star Team (2017, 2018, 2019), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2017, 2018, 2019)

Is it possible for a guy to rise to second after playing only the back half of the decade? It's possible if you're as exceptional as McDavid, who was the first pick in the 2015 draft and had a higher point-per-game clip (1.33) than anyone else in the NHL from early 2010 to late 2019.

Games: 630 (2010-19)

Statistics: 296 goals, 492 assists, 788 points

Awards: Art Ross Trophy (2013-14), Conn Smythe Trophy (2015-16, 2016-17), Hart Memorial Trophy (2013-14), Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (2016-17), NHL First All-Star Team (2013, 2014, 2016), NHL Second All-Star Team (2010, 2015, 2017, 2019), Played in NHL All-Star Game (2017, 2018, 2019), NHL All-Star Game MVP (2019)

It's impossible to imagine a more complete player in the NHL over the 2010-19 decade than Crosby, who was the face of the league while helping the Penguins to their two most recent Cups and scoring the second-most points in the league (14 behind Kane) in 112 fewer games.