In a move that surprised no one, the Buffalo Sabres have re-signed veteran forward Kyle Okposo to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. Okposo, the team captain, expressed his desire to return to the Sabres, and the organization was more than willing to bring him back for another season.
At 35 years old, Okposo has become a seasoned leader on a team desperately in need of guidance. The Sabres, who have endured a painful 12-year playoff drought, showed signs of improvement this season, finishing just one point shy of a playoff spot with a 42-33-7 record, good for 91 points—their best performance since 2011.
Speaking about the team’s progress, Okposo said, “I’m extremely proud to be a part of this group and to see how far we’ve come. We’ve become a team, and that’s the first time in a long time that I think we can say that about our squad here. It was extremely gratifying in a way, but at the same time extremely disappointing with how it ended.”
Okposo’s role as captain has been crucial in the development of the Sabres’ inexperienced roster. With the NHL’s youngest lineup, Okposo’s guidance and leadership have been invaluable. He was named captain at the beginning of the season, taking over from Jack Eichel, who was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights.
While other players have historically sought to leave Buffalo due to the team’s on ice struggles, Okposo has chosen to stay, seeing potential in the team’s young core. While his cap hit will be $2.5M for the year, the Saint Paul, MN native can earn an additional $500K in performance bonuses in 2023-24.
His new deal represents a substantial pay cut from his previous contract which saw him earn $42M across 7 seasons for an AAV of $6M per year. However, given his age and production this past year, alongside his willingness to take a hometown discount, his new deal is likely one both player and club can live with.
This past season, Okposo contributed 11 goals and 28 points across 75 games. However, his most productive season in Buffalo came two years ago when he scored 21 goals and recorded 45 points. Despite his declining offensive numbers, Okposo’s impact on the team extends far beyond the stat sheet.
“Knowing that I can have an impact on people’s lives in a positive way — forget hockey, forget hockey for a second — just the fact that you have a role to be a leader, to be a role model, and to be with these people every day,” said Okposo. “And they’re all such good people. I think that if you can have that impact on somebody’s life that is so rewarding for me as a person.”
“Like, I love teaching. I love coaching, for lack of a better term, these people to be the best people that they can be and that’s what I try and do every day. I just try and set as good an example as I can. And so, it’s definitely rewarding to see the progress that we’ve made as people and as hockey players as well. I think our team, it shows in the way that we play on the ice.”
Prior to joining the Sabres, Okposo spent nine seasons with the New York Islanders. In 2016, he signed with Buffalo, believing the then Eichel-led team had the potential to become contenders. While that hasn’t materialized, Okposo has found a home in Buffalo and has remained committed to the team’s future.
Both Okposo and the Sabres will hope that their push for the playoffs in 2022-23 was no fluke, and that next season will put an end to their decade plus postseason drought.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Kdm85. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.