Kyle Okposo ready to help Sabres clear playoff hurdle

Kyle Okposo was waiting for his oldest son, Odin, to finish brushing his teeth before bed when the call came.

The contract was done.

Buffalo Sabres winger Kyle Okposo, who said after the season he was going to take some time to ponder whether to return next season at age 35, made it official Wednesday that's he's coming back for his eighth season with the team.

Okposo, captain of the Buffalo Sabres, signed a one-year, $2.5 million pact to return for another season. When Odin emerged from the doorway, Okposo told him the news.

“His reaction was – his reaction was worth it,” Okposo said, emotional while speaking to reporters on a video call Thursday. “Sometimes I forget how much it means to them, especially my older two kids.”

Twenty minutes later, Okposo was walking through his neighborhood when his wife, Danielle, pulled up with their daughter, Ellie, in the car. He told them the news. And as they drove away to return home, Okposo heard the celebration.

“I told them and then when I heard them driving away, I heard (Ellie) scream so loud because they were just so happy and excited,” he continued. “It definitely is a huge factor in my decision-making, your family, because you’re not just thinking about yourself. You’re thinking about them and what this means to them as well.”

Okposo, 35, didn’t need long to decide that he wanted to play a 17th season in the NHL. When the Sabres finished one point behind the Stanley Cup final-bound Florida Panthers for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, Okposo sat down with Danielle and others in his inner circle to discuss his options.

Signing with another team wasn’t one of them. Okposo was going to be back with the Sabres or retire from pro hockey. He treasured his role as a leader for the youngest team in the league and burned to produce more offense after a season in which he thrived as a defensive forward but scored 11 goals in 75 games. Determined to be part of the Sabres’ first playoff team since 2011, Okposo instructed his agent, Pat Brisson, to complete a one-year contract.

Okposo arrived as the Sabres’ marquee free-agent signing in 2016. He spoke about wanting to bring a Stanley Cup to Buffalo. He’s experienced more tumultuous moments than triumphant ones in the seven years since. And finally, he’s part of a team that will be considered a legitimate playoff contender entering the season.

“There is definitely some unfinished business, for sure,” he said. “I've been through a lot here ... and I just think we're scratching the surface. I think that it's pretty evident by what's happened in the playoffs this year that we're not very far from reaching the top of the mountain and it's something that I had set out to do when I had my introductory press conference, and I did not know how much work was gonna have to go into it. But I think that we're extremely close.”

The Sabres wanted Okposo to be part of their roster for next season long before the contract was signed. He’s beloved by teammates. They made it clear after earning 91 standings points, and finishing one win short of the postseason, that they wanted their captain back. His words of wisdom calmed nerves during challenging times. His example was a beacon for young players who needed to learn how to prepare throughout a demanding 82-game schedule.

This season also included a different, albeit familiar, role on the ice. In 2021-22, as the Sabres were still developing and acquiring core players, Okposo skated in the top six and energized their power play with his right-handed shot. His 21 goals in 74 games were the most he had scored since he led the New York Islanders to the playoffs in 2015-16.

However, the Sabres needed Okposo to fulfill other duties this season. Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka were promoted from Rochester and their development in the NHL required more starts in the offensive zone. Coach Don Granato needed a forward line that could be used to shut down the opponent's best and Buffalo's penalty kill needed the savviness of a veteran while young forwards learned that a mistake, no matter the severity, can lead to a goal against.

Okposo united with Zemgus Girgensons and Peyton Krebs to form one of the best defensive lines in the league. The trio was pivotal to the Sabres’ success, particularly in the final weeks of the season when they went 9-2-1 over the final 12 games and remained alive in the playoff race entering Game 80. Okposo and Girgensons set a standard for how forwards can benefit from a simple, direct, physical approach to creating offense.

“I try not to have any sort of ego because I think that is detrimental to your team’s culture, if you have a bunch of egos,” Okposo said. “It’s just not going to be as seamless and the culture’s not going to be as good. I tried to do whatever is asked of me and do it to the best of my ability. And part of that this year was playing defense. I think that Z and I and Krebsy for a lot of the year just tried to really embrace that role and do it the best that we could. In saying that, like I touched on before, I wasn’t as good offensively as I think that could have been and that stings for me.”

Managing expectations will be one of many challenges facing the Sabres as they try to clear the playoff hurdle. They’ll face fewer backup goalies. Opponents will be determined to shut down an offense that scored the third-most goals in the NHL this season. 

The Sabres are also closer than the final standings suggest. After all, the Panthers are the latest reminder that any playoff team has a chance at winning a championship.

The Panthers' postseason odds would have decreased significantly if they lost to the Sabres with Devon Levi in goal on April 4. Panthers backup goalie Alex Lyon made 39 saves in a 2-1 win that forced Buffalo to play must-win games for the duration of the regular season. Florida entered the playoffs as the eighth and final seed, then eliminated Boston, Toronto and Carolina to reach the Cup final.

Moving forward, Okposo plans to assess his playing future each summer. He’s not committing to multiple seasons at this stage of his career. But he’s also not ready to walk away from an opportunity like this.

“There’s going to be lofty expectations next year, and I think that we can’t run from that,” he said. “You have to set your goal. And should our goal be to make the playoffs? And should our goal be to be two points better than we were this year? No. Let’s accept it, let’s accept it now.

“And so you set the goal of winning a Stanley Cup, and then you don’t touch that and you don’t let that weigh you down at all from the day to day of the season. … But we cannot run from those expectations anymore. Like, the time is now. The time is, like I said, our window, I think it’s opening and we have to be prepared for that. And everybody’s got to come better, starting with me.”