Confirmed with Link: Sabres re-sign Captain Kyle Okposo to a 1 year deal worth $2.5M

[ValJamesDuex]

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[Gras]

So KO re-ups for 2.5mil on a 1 yr deal

 

[Zman5778]

Perfect deal. One more year for the captain. Hopefully he'll be used a bit less than last year, can give us some good 4th line minutes and then become part of the front office after the year.

 

[Dubi Doo]

Meh. Not a huge fan of this signing, but if they can push Girgs and him down to the 4th line, he should be solid. I just really wanted to revamp the bottom-6, but now there arent a lot of spots open for a savvy bottom 6 addition.

Eh, Ill just say it- Im disappointed in this signing.

 

[Fjordy]

Well, I don't even know. I'm certainly happy for Okposo, I hope he can still contribute.

 

[OkimLom]

Really wished they would've upgraded that spot in the organization. He had a time and place where it was okay to allow his limitations to be in the lineup on a consistent basis because it didn't matter if he was impactful on the ice, but in the locker room. I feel we should be focusing on both ice and locker room impacts going forward. The league is showing itself to need to be 4 lines deep, and that was a line that needed much improvement in talent/grit level.

 

[Bferra13]

Ugh.

 

[HOOats]

Meh. Not a huge fan of this signing, but if they can push Girgs and him down to the 4th line, he should be solid. I just really wanted to revamp the bottom-6, but now there arent a lot of spots open for a savvy bottom 6 addition.

Eh, Ill just say it- Im disappointed in this signing.

Push them down to the 4th line... from the 4th line?

I'm with you, was kind of dreading this. He was fine this year I suppose, but I saw his spot as one to upgrade. One last summer of training his ass off to keep his feet as fast as possible.

Wonder if they want one more year to get the next captain choice absolutely right...

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

As long as he's willing to sit and be an extra from time to time I am ok with it. But if he has a permanent spot in the lineup baring injury I am not ok with it

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Push them down to the 4th line... from the 4th line?

I'm with you, was kind of dreading this. He was fine this year I suppose, but I saw his spot as one to upgrade. One last summer of training his ass off to keep his feet as fast as possible.

Wonder if they want one more year to get the next captain choice absolutely right...

4th line players don't have the 6th highest TOI/g among forwards (4th highest among wingers).

 

[Ace]

There was no way he wasn’t coming back. He’s 16 games away from his 1000th game. It was an inevitability

 

[kirby11]

Love it. Get KO to 1,000 games and break the drought. Wouldn't mind if he got a little bit of the Anderson treatment with more vet rest days to give some younger guys like Rousek some run, though.

 

[Ehran]

Push them down to the 4th line... from the 4th line?

I'm with you, was kind of dreading this. He was fine this year I suppose, but I saw his spot as one to upgrade. One last summer of training his ass off to keep his feet as fast as possible.

Wonder if they want one more year to get the next captain choice absolutely right...

Okposo wasn't really getting "4th line minutes" last season. He was around 5th or 6th in 5v5 minutes among the forwards, if I remember correctly.

 

[VaporTrail]

Not really a big fan of it..Guess they feel his leadership trumps other players and skill...Personally I was ready to move on in a new direction with new players...I feel there are players that are ready to be Captain and I feel we could have either put a young skilled player in his place or upgraded his spot through a trade or FA...This isn't a Stanley Cup move that's for sure...But I guess we're just trying to make the playoffs first...Baby steps.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Great leader and captain...but he's just, sooo, slooowwwww.

 

[RefsIdeas]

His legs looked cooked for most of the year. Granato plays him way too much (if I see him on the ice when we’re down a goal with 4 mins left in the game my head might explode). But it’s tough to quantify how much his leadership means to this group. Him being captain makes it tough for him to sit in the press box though.

 

[VaporTrail]

Meh. Not a huge fan of this signing, but if they can push Girgs and him down to the 4th line, he should be solid. I just really wanted to revamp the bottom-6, but now there arent a lot of spots open for a savvy bottom 6 addition.

Eh, Ill just say it- Im disappointed in this signing.

I'm with you..I wanted to see an overhaul of that bottom 6...I am in the minority as well as I think that Girgs can be upgraded.

 

[HOOats]

4th line players don't have the 6th highest TOI/g among forwards (4th highest among wingers).

Okposo wasn't really getting "4th line minutes" last season. He was around 5th or 6th in 5v5 minutes among the forwards, if I remember correctly.

I see that now. Although he was at the top of a clump of guys all around the same time, averaging about a shift's worth more per game. I'm not an expert in usage but it didn't feel like that extra shift came from being "featured" really, more relied upon to do some dirty work late in games that the kids weren't ready for.

 

[Zman5778]

There was no way he wasn’t coming back. He’s 16 games away from his 1000th game. It was an inevitability

Yep. I saw this as inevitable once he was named the captain before the season. There's no way he was named captain just for one year, unless he decided to retire.

 

[Irie]

I hate to be that guy, but unfortunately I do expect Okposo to continue to decline and slow, and like others, I saw his spot as a prime target for an energy upgrade to the team.

I was also somewhat hoping the captaincy would open up. Last years team came out really flat in way too many games. It's the captian's job to get the guys motivated and ready to go before each and every game. Okposo seemed like the calming presence a young team needs, but not the motivational voice that leaders have to provide.

It has been said that this team feels more like a family than a sports organization, and it was always said as a good thing, but I think we may be seeing that along with the good, there will be a strong loyalty aspect that overrides the difficult decisions that are needed to produce the most competitive on-ice results.

 

[Zman5778]

I see that now. Although he was at the top of a clump of guys all around the same time, averaging about a shift's worth more per game. I'm not an expert in usage but it didn't feel like that extra shift came from being "featured" really, more relied upon to do some dirty work late in games that the kids weren't ready for.

IMO, he'll still be the "go-to" guy late in games. But I think where you'll see his ice time cut/slashed is on the penalty kill. Towards the end of the season, Quinn and Krebs were getting some rather major time on the PK. Combine them with Cozens, Tuch and Tage.....those will be the top 5 in PK ice time, IMO.

That should help keep his legs fresher for his ES shifts as well as his late-game shifts.

He's still a useful NHL player.....especially if his ice time is managed properly.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I hate to be that guy, but unfortunately I do expect Okposo to continue to decline and slow, and like others, I saw his spot as a prime target for an energy upgrade to the team.

I was also somewhat hoping the captaincy would open up. Last years team came out really flat in way too many games. It's the captian's job to get the guys motivated and ready to go before each and every game. Okposo seemed like the calming presence a young team needs, but not the motivational voice that leaders have to provide.

It has been said that this team feels more like a family than a sports organization, and it was always said as a good thing, but I think we may be seeing that along with the good, there will be a strong loyalty aspect that overrides the difficult decisions that are needed to produce the most competitive on-ice results.

On the other hand, Okposo seems like a guy who would be totally cool ceding his spot to Kulich or whomever, if someone ends up winning his roster spot from him.

 

[Zman5778]

 

[Sabre Dance]

Which tells me they believe they’re a year away. Don’t expect any major changes.

 

[Irie]

On the other hand, Okposo seems like a guy who would be totally cool ceding his spot to Kulich or whomever, if someone ends up winning his roster spot from him.

I agree, but I do not think that decision would be Okposo's to make. I think it would be on Adams and Granato, and I do not think Granato is scratching Kyle, if nothing more than out of respect.