Some opportunities are too good to pass up.
For 17-year NHL veteran and former Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo, coming to South Florida was a chance that couldn’t be missed.
“I know that in my heart, I would have regretted not taking a shot at it and not trying to contribute to something special,” said Okposo, who was acquired by the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline. “They have all the pieces in place to make a run here. At the end of the day, that's what I want to do.”
Playing the Panthers’ style of play throughout his career, the seventh-overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft has logged 614 points (242 goals, 372 assists), 942 hits and 552 penalty minutes in 1,046 career games.
Hoping to make the deepest playoff run of his career, Okposo joined the Panthers after amassing 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists), 61 hits and 32 penalty minutes in 61 games with the Sabres this season.
“Off the ice is going to speak for itself,” said forward Sam Reinhart, a former teammate of Okposo’s in Buffalo. “On the ice he’s a pro. He does everything well. I think he’s going to fit into our system and he’s eager to win.”
Far from a stranger in his new locker room, Okposo ties to current Panthers go well beyond Reinhart.
“It's great,” Okposo said. “When you're around for a number of years, you're going to know a few guys, with Evan [Rodrigues] and Brandon [Montour] and Dmitry [Kulikov], too. Then obviously Sam [Reinhart], who I'm really close with. So it's nice to have some familiar faces, but you also talk to guys in the summer. Like [Sam] Bennett, I've been at a few camps with him, and just talking to different guys.”