Kyle Okposo, Sabres Agree to 1-Year, $2.5M Contract as Captain Avoids Free Agency

Kyle Okposo is staying in Buffalo.

The Sabres captain agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the franchise on Wednesday to avoid hitting the open market this summer.

Okposo has spent the last seven seasons of his career with the Sabres. After nine years with the New York Islanders, he agreed to a seven-year, $42 million deal with Buffalo ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.

It's no surprise the veteran forward agreed to terms to remain with the Sabres for another season, especially after general manager Kevyn Adams said after the 2022-23 campaign that the franchise hoped to re-sign him.

"I can't say enough good things about him as a person, what he's done in the locker room, the way he carries the message from Donny [Granato] and the coaching staff through to the team, his selflessness, to be able to mentor and bring along players," Adams said.

"I see it over and over again, day after day, players are down, whatever's going on in their life, they're talking to him. And I just think it's we're lucky to have him."

Okposo has been a key leader in the locker room for the Sabres and has played a big role on offense over the years. In 455 regular-season games across seven seasons, he has notched 91 goals and 132 assists for 223 points.

During the 2022-23 season, the 35-year-old tallied 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points in 75 games while playing alongside Zemgus Girgensons.

With Okposo locked up, the Sabres can shift their focus to their other free agents. The franchise is expected to have nearly $17 million in cap space this summer, per CapFriendly.