Islanders Point Blank: Isles to begin contract extension talks with Kyle Okposo

[burnzy77]

Just some food for thought here……
Is KO the first line RW?
Or is Strome the first line RW?
Would you still pay KO the same to be on the 2nd line?

 

[MatthewBarnabysTears]

Just some food for thought here……
Is KO the first line RW?
Or is Strome the first line RW?
Would you still pay KO the same to be on the 2nd line?

Yeah, I would. We saw in 2013 how an effective Okposo on the second line (with Nielsen and Bailey) singlehandedly changed the complexion of the Isles lineup. We tend to get too hung up on labels like "first line" or "top six" or "top four." A great hockey player is a great hockey player.

 

[Lame Lambert]

Just some food for thought here……
Is KO the first line RW?
Or is Strome the first line RW?
Would you still pay KO the same to be on the 2nd line?

He is a 1RW. It just so happens that we have 2 great wingers and Strome plays better with Tavares so that's where he should be. It's a Crosby/Malkin situation.

 

[burnzy77]

He is a 1RW. It just so happens that we have 2 great wingers and Strome plays better with Tavares so that's where he should be. It's a Crosby/Malkin situation.

Neither Strome or KO are anywhere near that level...

I do believe that it does just boil down to who would you rather play with JT and is the 2nd line RW worth as much or more of a caphit then your 1rw...now and in the future.

I like KO a lot as a player I'm just purely looking at this from the business side of things

 

[Lame Lambert]

Neither Strome or KO are anywhere near that level...

I do believe that it does just boil down to who would you rather play with JT and is the 2nd line RW worth as much or more of a caphit then your 1rw...now and in the future.

I like KO a lot as a player I'm just purely looking at this from the business side of things

You're saying Strome and KO aren't 1RWs? Yeah okay.

 

[PK Cronin]

You're saying Strome and KO aren't 1RWs? Yeah okay.

Pretty sure he's saying they aren't like Crosby and Malkin in terms of their ability, not that they aren't first liners.


I'd go with neither as the first line RW.

Lee Tavares Bailey
Nelson Strome Okposo
Nielsen Grabovski Kulemin
Martin Cizikas Clutterbuck
Grabner/Petrov

 

[Lame Lambert]

Pretty sure he's saying they aren't like Crosby and Malkin in terms of their ability, not that they aren't first liners.


I'd go with neither as the first line RW.

Lee Tavares Bailey
Nelson Strome Okposo
Nielsen Grabovski Kulemin
Martin Cizikas Clutterbuck
Grabner/Petrov

I never said they were. I said it's the same situation where you have two #1s and only one spot.

 

[PK Cronin]

I never said they were. I said it's the same situation where you have two #1s and only one spot.

Misunderstanding a misunderstanding.

He was saying that they aren't Crosby/Malkin in terms of skill, not that they aren't first liners. Nobody is claiming you said they were as good skill-wise.

 

[burnzy77]

They both are most def capable of being 1rws...the point that I'm trying to make is that you make room for those guys (Crosby and Malkin)and their caphits because of the level of players they both are...

In my opinion having two potential 1rws is a luxury for our team...its a luxury that I'm very unsure about.… financially and physically (KO's health)

 

[Lame Lambert]

They both are most def capable of being 1rws...the point that I'm trying to make is that you make room for those guys (Crosby and Malkin)and their caphits because of the level of players they both are...

In my opinion having two potential 1rws is a luxury for our team...its a luxury that I'm very unsure about.… financially and physically (KO's health)

Unless KO is asking for an obscene amount of money and not budging, you sign him. You can't let talent like that walk unless you get a good piece in return.

 

[GusTheo]

Make him go out and show you he's healthy. Nothing wrong with a highly motivated KO this season. If he has a monster hear, or even just a really good year, let him test FA. On July 1st give him your best fair offer, tell him that's the most you can afford, and how would he like to stay being JT's personal RWer the next 5-6 years.

 

[A Pointed Stick]

The 4th period taken seriously by Point Blank is all you need to know about PB. Sad, just ****** sad... Talks already started last season. Apparently they are at an impasse.

 

[LeapOnOver]

Enough with this "crazy overpay" fear. If we lost Okposo, there's not really any way to effectively replace his exact skill-set. You don't just let guys like that walk. And frankly it shocks me that fans don't have more gratitude to a guy who's taken on a leadership role with this team and has taken team-friendly contracts in the past. If Okposo gets "overpaid" by some minimal amount or gets an extra year or two, I'm not going to be upset about it. The cap will go up, and our future owners have deep pockets. An extra million or so for Okposo or an extra year isn't going to be the difference between this team and its long-term goals.

Fans' desire to be coldly analytical about these things confuses me. Personally, I hope Okposo spends his entire career with the Isles.

Thank you...should be stickied to the top of the OP, lol.

 

[Quicklime]

Thank you...should be stickied to the top of the OP, lol.

I hope that the following isn't mistaken for a lack of loyalty for a lifelong Islander, but if Kyle Okposo is offered a 6 or 7 million contract before he can at least be analyzed after a summer to heal and he continues spiraling out, that contract becomes horrible on a level that exceeds the scope of Horton's unfortunate back issues and Clarkson getting exposed as a 30-goal fluke.

I love what KO brings when he's "on," but the last few games he played, he got punted 3rd and 4th line spot duty while Kulemin, Strome, Nelson, Nielsen and Bailey (IIRC) were holding down the top-6. His point totals don't lie; a healthy KO gives the team a dangerous top-9 that could benefit from a little more grit, no doubt, but being locked in a top-shelf contract with an asset we can watch decline after payday didn't feel good when it was Yashin, and I like KO more than Yashin.

Hardball sucks, but it often works for a reason. Come to camp knowing Strome is at your heels and you're playing for the contract of your life. Justify your value and increase it. Spend the season and postseason proving the Isles need KO as much, if not more than KO needs the Isles. It worked for Toews, it worked for Subban, so work it here. Snow is many things, but he isn't stupid, and all depreciation KO showed in the Playoffs will and damn well should be written into the dollar amount of any contract offered to Kyle before otherwise is proven.

The 4th period taken seriously by Point Blank is all you need to know about PB. Sad, just ****** sad... Talks already started last season. Apparently they are at an impasse.

As well they should be! Okposo should be valuing himself as the #1RW just as much as Snow should be driving that amount well-south of that due to his play in the Caps series. The patience will pay off with Okposo's play justifying either scenario. If he wants to leave, he'll either be valuable in a trade or a UFA depending on UFA offers that will only look good if he puts it all together again. If he wants to stay, he'll either come at a fair price or justify a huge payday with on-ice results. No reason to make a deal now.

 

[LeapOnOver]

I hope that the following isn't mistaken for a lack of loyalty for a lifelong Islander, but if Kyle Okposo is offered a 6 or 7 million contract before he can at least be analyzed after a summer to heal and he continues spiraling out, that contract becomes horrible on a level that exceeds the scope of Horton's unfortunate back issues and Clarkson getting exposed as a 30-goal fluke.

I love what KO brings when he's "on," but the last few games he played, he got punted 3rd and 4th line spot duty while Kulemin, Strome, Nelson, Nielsen and Bailey (IIRC) were holding down the top-6. His point totals don't lie; a healthy KO gives the team a dangerous top-9 that could benefit from a little more grit, no doubt, but being locked in a top-shelf contract with an asset we can watch decline after payday didn't feel good when it was Yashin, and I like KO more than Yashin.

Hardball sucks, but it often works for a reason. Come to camp knowing Strome is at your heels and you're playing for the contract of your life. Justify your value and increase it. Spend the season and postseason proving the Isles need KO as much, if not more than KO needs the Isles. It worked for Toews, it worked for Subban, so work it here. Snow is many things, but he isn't stupid, and all depreciation KO showed in the Playoffs will and damn well should be written into the dollar amount of any contract offered to Kyle before otherwise is proven.



As well they should be! Okposo should be valuing himself as the #1RW just as much as Snow should be driving that amount well-south of that due to his play in the Caps series. The patience will pay off with Okposo's play justifying either scenario. If he wants to leave, he'll either be valuable in a trade or a UFA depending on UFA offers that will only look good if he puts it all together again. If he wants to stay, he'll either come at a fair price or justify a huge payday with on-ice results. No reason to make a deal now.

As you completely miss the other side of the point. Snow isn't an idiot, and the fans on here that know that recovering from injuries take longer for some than others (Okposo proved he's one of them after the shoulder injury, but returned to form after he did recover). For some reason fans on these boards think every player is made of metal and if they take awhile to recover it means that they are broken forever. More often than not players don't go the route of DP or Horton. The stats are pretty overwhelming for the player making a full recovery, some just take longer than others.

Getting back to what you said Snow isn't an idiot, you are right. How idiotic would it be to give Okposo a chance to demolish his career numbers (which he looked like he was on pace to do) and guarantee to outprice himself off the Islanders. You argue let him prove it, but some of us are smart enough to know we don't want him to prove it before he's signed. So that is obviously why Snow is working on it now because there are two sides to every gamble. His breakout was stifled by injury and hopefully put him in the frame of mind where he knows security is important. That coupled with a new family will hopefully be enough to have him sign at a little bit of a discount. However, if Okposo comes in this year and puts up 70+ points (he's going to do that) it's quite possible at that point we won't even have the money to sign him.

 

[Quicklime]

As you completely miss the other side of the point. Snow isn't an idiot, and the fans on here that know that recovering from injuries take longer for some than others (Okposo proved he's one of them after the shoulder injury, but returned to form after he did recover). For some reason fans on these boards think every player is made of metal and if they take awhile to recover it means that they are broken forever. More often than not players don't go the route of DP or Horton. The stats are pretty overwhelming for the player making a full recovery, some just take longer than others.

Getting back to what you said Snow isn't an idiot, you are right. How idiotic would it be to give Okposo a chance to demolish his career numbers (which he looked like he was on pace to do) and guarantee to outprice himself off the Islanders. You argue let him prove it, but some of us are smart enough to know we don't want him to prove it before he's signed. So that is obviously why Snow is working on it now because there are two sides to every gamble. His breakout was stifled by injury and hopefully put him in the frame of mind where he knows security is important. That coupled with a new family will hopefully be enough to have him sign at a little bit of a discount. However, if Okposo comes in this year and puts up 70+ points (he's going to do that) it's quite possible at that point we won't even have the money to sign him.

Just so it's out there, Okposo both wanting to stay here enough to sign a team-friendly deal AND having a monster season together would almost be the best of both worlds, though I doubt both conditions will be met. I'd mind a 70-point season from Okie as much as Montreal minded offering Subban a bridge deal en route to a Norris trophy. Considering what would need to be brought to the table, I'd almost not mind at all, since a healthy Okposo contributes to a deep playoff run, and if he wants to stay, he's stay.

We may not be able to keep both Nielsen and Okposo, so if the Isles let one establish higher value and either move the other or allow them to walk, the Isles with just keep evolving. I'd like both to stay and hopefully lift a Cup in Brooklyn, but I won't be bent out of shape if one makes their value more than what the Isles can pay before next July.

 

[BelovedIsles]

Good. Maybe this will stop the KO chatter in the trade rumors section.

 

[seafoam]

Good. Maybe this will stop the KO chatter in the trade rumors section.

I think it's actually done the opposite, thanks to OkpoTaVanek.

 

[A Pointed Stick]

As well they should be! Okposo should be valuing himself as the #1RW just as much as Snow should be driving that amount well-south of that due to his play in the Caps series. The patience will pay off with Okposo's play justifying either scenario. If he wants to leave, he'll either be valuable in a trade or a UFA depending on UFA offers that will only look good if he puts it all together again. If he wants to stay, he'll either come at a fair price or justify a huge payday with on-ice results. No reason to make a deal now.

Pretty much. There's not much more to do than watch for now. I hate to think what happens to his trade value if he gets another month+ injury though.

 

[Darth Milbury]

Staple debunked this in today's twitter feed. There are no negotiations.

 

[OlTimeHockey]

The 4th period taken seriously by Point Blank is all you need to know about PB. Sad, just ****** sad...

You mean the fan blog run by three kids IPB??? Beats Metal Chick news feeds.

 

[The Underboss]

Staple debunked this in today's twitter feed. There are no negotiations.

Saw the tweet.

Closed.