TBN: Toughest year ever behind him, Sabres' Okposo looks ahead

[joshjull]

"I felt really disjointed this year, and I think it reflected in my play," he said.

Okposo traces the problems to last April. A concussion and a resulting reaction to medication landed him in the hospital. He started skating during the summer, but by then it was too late.

"The training wasn't there," Okposo said. "I didn't have that base. I didn't have the mechanics."

"I just need to get back to having a good summer of training," he said in KeyBank Center. "It's going to be a lot more focused on my body and getting my body to where it needs to be."

"I definitely have to fix my skating," Okposo said. "It wasn't very good this year. I think I said I felt disconnected, so I want to focus on that and just getting back to being able to play at that high level all the time. I just didn't feel like I had it this year.

"I think that the biggest thing is functionality and fluidity, just being connected with your body. You see the way that these kids coming up can skate and the way they can turn and how good they are on their edges."

"It's one thing to realize you need change, but it's another thing to actually do it."

With a full offseason ahead, Okposo intends to do it.

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[ZorfMaster99]

It's reasonable to me that a good off season would do him good. If he can turn it around it would be a big help.

 

[Icicle]

"Okposo was a ghastly minus-34, the second-worst number in the NHL and worst among forwards."

Okposo turning it around would do wonders for this team. No blanket statements, but focusing on skating is exactly it. He's the only player on this team who deserves a pass.

 

[Gabrielor]

I’m truly sorry about his incident last year, and am glad, as a non player, his life doesn’t seem to have been significantly effected in any serious negative way. Truly.

As a hockey player, I’ve thought he was a bad fit and overpaid for the impact he makes from day 1.

I wish him well and hope he returns to form, just for a different team.

 

[Jim Bob]

It will be interesting to see where Okposo and other players spend the off season.

I think the Sabres, like most pro teams, continue to fight to have players in-house during the off season as opposed to working with their own trainers.

Buddy Morris: Some Things Made Me Want to 'Drink Heavily' After Cards' 1st Day

The Arizona Cardinals awesome S&C coach Buddy Morris had an awesome quote on the topic after day 1 of the Cards' off season program.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

Tyler Ennis never fully recovered from his concussions, while I saw little of him play this year he had a poor season statistically and is now a healthy scratch. I don't think Okposo has his coordination back and maybe it never does. Pro athletes aren't like the rest of us, I'm sure that neurological tests would say he's fine but they don't measure the small differences that separates top athletes in sports that depend so much on coordination between brain and body parts.

that said, Crosby has had serious concussions and he's doing incredible feats of hand/eye magic. but Okposo looked like Ennis did this year, very very clumsy. then there's the skating issue which isn't related to his health.

 

[1point21Gigawatts]

As a fan and a human being, i hope KO is able to turn it around. But i am not sure how much i buy into the "out of shape" narrative. Is it that hard for a player to train during the regular season? I can understand showing up out of shape, but by April shouldn't he have been able to address some of his concerns?
This is a legit question that i hope more informed minds can answer. Maybe it's hard to train (add weight, muscle mass, speed) during the grind of an 82 game season? I don't know

 

[haseoke39]

If all this article does is inflate his trade value, thank you John Vogl.

 

[Jim Bob]

As a fan and a human being, i hope KO is able to turn it around. But i am not sure how much i buy into the "out of shape" narrative. Is it that hard for a player to train during the regular season? I can understand showing up out of shape, but by April shouldn't he have been able to address some of his concerns?

This is a legit question that i hope more informed minds can answer. Maybe it's hard to train (add weight, muscle mass, speed) during the grind of an 82 game season? I don't know

Most players lose muscle mass throughout a season because of the grind of 82 games plus all the time on the ice.

I forget exactly what player it was, but I remember a behind the scenes YT video from years past where a player talked about how he changes his stick flex as the season progresses. He went with a whippier flex at the end of the season because he has lost strength.

https://www.nsca.com/uploadedFiles/NSCA/Inactive_Content/Program_Books/Saturday 4 Bond(1).pdf

Here is a presentation from the Avs S&C caoch about developing an in season S&C program for ice hockey.

 

[gallagt01]

I wish KO the best. He seems like a great guy. But yeah, if he's your third highest paid forward, your team is in trouble. At his healthiest, he's a complimentary player in your middle six -- not a core piece that you build around.

KO making $3-4 million is a fine option for any team.

 

[Icicle]

As a fan and a human being, i hope KO is able to turn it around. But i am not sure how much i buy into the "out of shape" narrative. Is it that hard for a player to train during the regular season? I can understand showing up out of shape, but by April shouldn't he have been able to address some of his concerns?
This is a legit question that i hope more informed minds can answer. Maybe it's hard to train (add weight, muscle mass, speed) during the grind of an 82 game season? I don't know

They don't build during the season, they maintain and wear down. There's a finite amount of energy the players have and they use most of it just to play on the ice at the pace they do in an 82-game season. During the off-season the body is given proper, controlled rests (if done right), and the location and size of muscle can be altered.

Okposo had a late start considering he couldn't do anything physical without getting headaches until halfway through.

 

[joshjull]

Tyler Ennis never fully recovered from his concussions, while I saw little of him play this year he had a poor season statistically and is now a healthy scratch. I don't think Okposo has his coordination back and maybe it never does. Pro athletes aren't like the rest of us, I'm sure that neurological tests would say he's fine but they don't measure the small differences that separates top athletes in sports that depend so much on coordination between brain and body parts.

that said, Crosby has had serious concussions and he's doing incredible feats of hand/eye magic. but Okposo looked like Ennis did this year, very very clumsy. then there's the skating issue which isn't related to his health.

It is if he can't train properly.

 

[joshjull]

I wish KO the best. He seems like a great guy. But yeah, if he's your third highest paid forward, your team is in trouble. At his healthiest, he's a complimentary player in your middle six -- not a core piece that you build around.

KO making $3-4 million is a fine option for any team.

I'd rather keep Okposo than waste 2-3mil in cap space for the next 5 years. If you're going to get rid of him, get rid of his deal. Even if it means the return is minimal.

 

[Strexvale]

Most players lose muscle mass throughout a season because of the grind of 82 games plus all the time on the ice.

I forget exactly what player it was, but I remember a behind the scenes YT video from years past where a player talked about how he changes his stick flex as the season progresses. He went with a whippier flex at the end of the season because he has lost strength.

https://www.nsca.com/uploadedFiles/NSCA/Inactive_Content/Program_Books/Saturday 4 Bond(1).pdf

Here is a presentation from the Avs S&C caoch about developing an in season S&C program for ice hockey.

Here's the video you're thinking of, it's Briere talking to Hall and Seguin. He says he starts the season around 87-90 flex because in training camp you're stronger but as the year goes on he brings it down to about 77.

 

[Jim Bob]

Here's the video you're thinking of, it's Briere talking to Hall and Seguin. He says he starts the season around 87-90 flex because in training camp you're stronger but as the year goes on he brings it down to about 77.

Thanks!

For some reason I was thinking it was Cammy, but that is what I was thinking about.

 

[old kummelweck]

Sabres went into last season with so many reclamation projects like Okposo, I'm not sure what to think. How many can you have on the roster? One is tolerable and he can occupy that slot, but the issue is the salary and injury. I'd be fine if it was low risk, high reward, but he absolutely can't be penciled into the top 6 this Summer and Botterill needs to address the forward roster like Okposo isn't an option. If that means a trade to a better situation for both team and player, I think you do it. I do think his upside is there and maybe he can make it happen, but the concussion history is there and he's been knocked a few times this season where I've been very concerned he'd be back in concussion purgatory.

Honestly, maybe the guy should stop playing russian roulette and retire.

 

[old kummelweck]

I'd rather keep Okposo than waste 2-3mil in cap space for the next 5 years. If you're going to get rid of him, get rid of his deal. Even if it means the return is minimal.

Exactly. He basically cost the team nothing via UFA, so it's not like he's a lost asset. Anything you would get would be gravy.

 

[ZZamboni]

Meh. I hope he can get it all together over the summer and come in and be the effective KO i know he can be. Whether it be in Buffalo or elsewhere.

 

[dasaybz]

Sabres went into last season with so many reclamation projects like Okposo, I'm not sure what to think. How many can you have on the roster? One is tolerable and he can occupy that slot, but the issue is the salary and injury. I'd be fine if it was low risk, high reward, but he absolutely can't be penciled into the top 6 this Summer and Botterill needs to address the forward roster like Okposo isn't an option. If that means a trade to a better situation for both team and player, I think you do it. I do think his upside is there and maybe he can make it happen, but the concussion history is there and he's been knocked a few times this season where I've been very concerned he'd be back in concussion purgatory.

Honestly, maybe the guy should stop playing russian roulette and retire.

There's no way he leaves that much money on the table and just retires. Not a chance.

 

[old kummelweck]

There's no way he leaves that much money on the table and just retires. Not a chance.

Safety concerns force Borland retirement

 

[gallagt01]

I'd rather keep Okposo than waste 2-3mil in cap space for the next 5 years. If you're going to get rid of him, get rid of his deal. Even if it means the return is minimal.

I don't disagree.

 

[dasaybz]

Safety concerns force Borland retirement

Has there ever been a hockey player that was cleared but decided to retire because of concussion concerns? Also, Okposo makes 10 x more money than Borland did.

 

[old kummelweck]

Has there ever been a hockey player that was cleared but decided to retire because of concussion concerns? Also, Okposo makes 10 x more money than Borland did.

Most are forced to leave the sport due to the injury and then battle depression, drug and alcohol abuse, only to have their families discover post-mortem that they had CTE.

 

[Buffaloed]

I thought he improved as the season progressed.

 

[CatsforReinhart]

I saw Okposo was a lot of people's whipping boy this year and to me has was the least of our problems.

If we can turn this team around he will be a good top 9 player for us