Before Kyle Okposo captained the Buffalo Sabres and won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, he made a name for himself on Long Island. The New York Islanders selected the St. Paul, Minnesota native with the seventh overall pick in the 2006 Draft, and he made his NHL debut the next season.
Okposo’s NHL Debut
Okposo spent his first season in the Islanders organization with the University of Minnesota Gophers, registering 19 goals and 40 points in 40 games. The following season, he recorded seven goals and 11 points in 18 games before signing his entry-level contract on Dec. 19, 2007, midway through the season, and joining the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. After tallying nine goals and 28 points in 35 AHL games, he made his NHL debut on March 18, 2008, at just 19 years old.
Okposo’s NHL debut was at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He registered 15 shifts, good for 14:45 minutes of ice time. He tallied two shots and finished with a plus/minus of zero. Luckily for the Islanders, his minimal impact did not last long. In his next game on Mar. 21 against the New Jersey Devils, he tallied a goal and an assist in nearly 20 minutes of ice time en route to an Islanders win.
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Okposo’s first NHL point came 4:46 minutes into the first period when Blake Comeau tipped in his shot. Then in the second period, Okposo lost his helmet and scored a beautiful one-timer goal on Hall of Fame goaltender, Martin Brodeur. Okposo’s goal, the Islanders’ second of the game, was the difference as the Islanders came out on top 3-1. He finished the 2007-08 season with two goals and five points in nine games.
Okposo’s Career Highlights with the Islanders
After Okposo made his NHL debut, he never looked back. He suited up for the Islanders in each of the next eight seasons, finishing his career on Long Island with 139 goals and 369 points in 529 regular season games. He also scored seven goals and 15 points in 24 playoff games with the team.
In Okposo’s nine seasons with the Islanders, he never finished a season with less than 16:28 of average ice time. In nine seasons, he averaged over 20 minutes twice and tallied more than 40 penalty minutes just three times. In the 2013-14 season at 25 years old, he scored 27 goals, 42 assists, and 69 points in just 71 games, setting career highs in each offensive category. He led the team in goals, assists, points, and shots.
Okposo tallied 20+ goals in a season three times, 60+ points twice, and 50+ points four times. His most notable career regular-season achievement was his four-goal game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 16, 2015. In the playoffs, he will be remembered for his historic performance in Game 2 of the 2013 Playoffs against the Penguins where he fought Matt Niskanen before scoring the game-winning goal with 7:37 to play in the third period.
Okposo was also a leader on and off the ice with the Islanders. He would frequently attend charity events and raise money to help organizations that focus on children’s health, wellness, illness, and disability. Following his rookie season, he dawned the “A” for his final seven seasons with the team.
Okposo’s Career After the Islanders
Following a 22-goal, 64-point 2015-16 season, Okposo signed a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Sabres. He was an alternate captain for five of his eight seasons in Buffalo, then a captain in his final two seasons. He had 19 goals and 45 points in 65 games in his first season with the team, leading to a 2017 NHL All-Star Game nod with former teammate, John Tavares.
After scoring 103 goals and 245 points in 516 career games with the Sabres, Okposo was traded on March 8, 2024, to the Panthers in exchange for Calle Själin and a conditional 2024 seventh-round pick. The seventh-round pick became a fourth-round pick when the Panthers won the 2024 Stanley Cup. This inter-division trade was a classy move by the Sabres as they allowed Okposo to compete in the playoffs and win a Stanley Cup for the first time since his final season with the Islanders.
Okposo suited up in just six regular season games with the Panthers, failing to register a point. In the 2024 Playoffs, it was a different story. He played in 17 of the team’s 24 playoff games, tallying two assists, as well as six of the seven games in the Stanley Cup Final. Once the Panthers took the victory in Game 7, he was the third player to hoist Lord Stanley, following just captain-Alexander Barkov and veteran goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky.
Today, Okposo ranks seventh in goals, seventh in points, and ninth in games played among the 2006 NHL Draft Class. He sits 29th in games played, 20th in goals, and 18th in points in Islanders history and 31st in games played, 33rd in goals, and 39th in points in Sabres history. He was the oldest player on the Panthers’ 2024 Stanley Cup-winning roster.
While he may not have been a member of the Islanders since 2016, Okposo will forever be a fan favorite. His commitment to the team through thick and thin did not go unnoticed, and regardless of what his future holds, he will also have a home on Long Island.
