Buffalo Sabres Re-Sign Captain Kyle Okposo to One-Year Deal
Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo staying in Buffalo for another season as the team looks to make the playoffs next year.
The captain is back in Buffalo.
The Sabres announced on Wednesday they have signed Kyle Okposo to a one-year, $2.5-million contract. The 35-year-old has spent the past seven seasons with the Sabres and was named the team's captain in October.
"I'm extremely proud to be a part of this group and to see how far we've come," Okposo said to the Sabres website. "We've become a team. It started off the ice first and then slowly progressed on the ice. It's the first time in a long time that I think we can say that."
Okposo posted 11 goals and 28 points in 75 games for the Sabres this season while averaging 14:40 in ice time per game. He also logged the fourth-most minutes among Sabres forwards on the penalty kill.
In his 16 seasons of NHL experience, Okposo has 230 goals, 362 assists and 592 points in 984 games to his name. During his time with the Sabres, he has 91 goals and 223 points in 455 games. He has a chance to be the 32nd player to play 500 games for Buffalo next season, and he can also reach 1,000 matches and 600 points in his NHL career.
Okposo and his family have made Western New York his full-time home, and his leadership on and off the ice, combined with his work in the community, have made him an influential part of the Sabres as they look to do something they and their fans have missed out on for the past 12 years – make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Buffalo was so close to the post-season this year, missing out by one win. Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin may have led the way on the scoresheet, but Okposo's mentorship is helping push the team to greater heights while filling a solid checking-line role with another Sabres veteran in Zemgus Girgensons.
Wednesday's signing puts the Sabres up to 21 contracts with a projected $16.96 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly.
Could Okposo be the first player since Craig Rivet to captain Buffalo in the playoffs? Only time will tell.