Karlsson earned a plus+2 rating in Ottawa's Thursday night win over Buffalo.

EDGE Analysis

While Karlsson did not light the lamp or get credited with an assist in the Senators Thursday night 3-1 win over the Sabres - the All-Star defenseman was on the ice for two of Ottawa's three goals. Karlsson is always relative and should find the blue liner in the hunt for yet another Norris trophy.

Karlsson had one assist in Saturday's preseason win over Montreal.

EDGE Analysis

All indications point to another outstanding NHL season for Karlsson. A third Norris trophy in 2015 is a very realistic goal for the superstar Senators' defenseman.

Karlsson won the 2015 James Morris Memorial Trophy for the NHL's top "defense player who demonstrated throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position." This is Karlsson's second time taking home the trophy, as he won it back in 2012 as well. The captain recorded a team-high 45 assists over the course of the regular season en route to leading the team in points with 66. Karlsson also was the most durable player for the Senators this season, playing in all 88 games.

GM Bryan Murray said Karlsson was dealing with muscle damage in his back late in the season, TSN's Brent Wallace reports. The injury didn't prevent Karlsson from missing a game for the second consecutive season, but it's something that could require time off the ice over the next few weeks in order to properly heal. Karlsson, who finished the regular season with 21 goals and 66 points en route to earning a Norris Trophy nomination, should be fully healthy by the time training camp rolls around.

Karlsson acknowledged that he played through an injury since around December, but didn't reveal the nature of the injury, TSN.ca reports. Karlsson said that he won't need surgery to address the injury, and with the Senators now eliminated from the playoffs, he'll have plenty of time to rest up and recover. The blueliner isn't in danger of missing training camp and should remain active on the award circuit over the next several weeks. After tallying 21 goals and 66 points during the regular season, Karlsson was announced as a finalist for the Norris Trophy, the chief honor among what figures to be a host of award nominations for the 24-year-old.

Karlsson has been nominated for the Norris Trophy for the 2014-15 NHL season OttawaSenators.com reports. This is his second nomination - Karlsson won the award in 2012. Karlsson - who has become an All-Star in his first three professional seasons - is still a "young" player in the NHL at a mere 24 years old. Karlsson tallied 21 goals and 45 assists in the 2014-15 campaign - becoming the youngest player to record over 200 assists since Brian Leetch accomplished the feat in 1991 at 25 years old. Karlsson shows no signs of slowing down his point production any time soon - quite the contrary, Karlsson had the stamina to log over 32 minutes of ice time in Game 6 of the Sens' first round Eastern Conference playoff series against Montreal.

Karlsson was a monster Sunday, dishing out six hits, firing four shots on goal and collecting an assist in 31:12 of ice time in a Game 3 overtime loss to Montreal. While Karlsson was laying out the body all night, his energy wasn't enough, as the Sens lost their third straight playoff game and are now one loss away from being eliminated. Karlsson's been a big factor in each of the three games, picking up three points and firing 10 shots on goal, but if the Sens lose Game 4, he won't have any fantasy value until next season.

Karlsson picked up two assists in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Canadiens. The blueliner got off to a hot start in this year's playoffs after being the most productive defenseman in the NHL the second half of the season. He'll continue to be an elite fantasy player as long as the Sens can remain in the playoffs.

Karlsson notched a power-play goal in Sunday's shootout loss to the Maple Leafs. Karlsson finished the weekend with three points after picking up two assists in Saturday's win over the Capitals. The star blueliner is closing out the year hot, having produced a superb 20 points over his last 20 games. He's once again poised to finish as the NHL's top scoring defenseman for the second consecutive season.

Karlsson tallied a power-play goal in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Panthers. Karlsson reached the 60-point plateau Saturday, and Sunday's effort now gives him the second 20-goal season of his career. The 22-year-old has a comfortable five point lead on the rest of the league among blueliners, so he should continue to be rolled out nightly.