Sabres re-sign Okposo to 1-year contract

Kyle Okposo reflected inside the visiting dressing room at Prudential Center last month, shortly after a loss to the New Jersey Devils had eliminated the Buffalo Sabres from playoff contention.

"I'm extremely proud to be a part of this group and to see how far we've come," Okposo said. "We've become a team. It started off the ice first and then slowly progressed on the ice. It's the first time in a long time that I think we can say that."

He wanted to remain a part of it. The Sabres captain signed a one-year contract worth $2.5 million on Wednesday, forgoing the option to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Okposo, 35, has established himself as the unquestioned leader of the NHL's youngest team on various fronts - with his demeanor on the ice, his actions in the dressing room, and his commitment in the community. Casey Mittelstadt summed Okposo's meaning to the team succinctly in the days after this season ended.

"He's obviously the rock of our team," Mittelstadt said. "He's the leader."

The Sabres signed Okposo to a seven-year contract during the summer of 2016. He was selected to the All-Star Game during his first year with the organization, before a concussion forced him to spend time in neurological ICU and brought his season to a premature end.

"If you were to tell me that I'd play out the remainder of my deal and be where I am today, I probably would've said you're lying," Okposo said last month.

He spent the ensuing years engraining himself as a fixture in the organization. He moved his family to Buffalo full-time and Video: Okposo returns on 1-year deal regarding the state of the team. He spoke on behalf of the team Video: Okposo returns on 1-year deal and Video: Okposo returns on 1-year deal

"I think he's been the best captain I've had," Zemgus Girgensons, his linemate and alternate captain these past two seasons, said.

"He's one of the guys that I look up to and I think a lot of the success here is because of Kyle and the way he handled things. I think he held the team together. The times in need he was always there. He's a part that was huge for us."

When the Sabres returned to the ice for their first game following a deadly blizzard that paralyzed Western New York during the holidays, it was Okposo who scored a hat trick to lead them to a victory in front of a sellout crowd.

"Just to play in this city and feel like we're a part of the community, we're trying to become part of the glue that helps this community heal and holds this community together," he said that night. "We tried to go show that on the ice tonight."

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams provided a laundry list of reasons why he was excited to re-sign Okposo during his end-of-season press conference.

"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."

Under Okposo's leadership, the Sabres - with the youngest roster in the NHL - amassed 91 points last season, the organization's best mark since 2010-11. He fostered a locker room culture based on respect and communication and encouraged players to be themselves.

"Everyone is able to walk in here and say whatever they think and they're not going to be judged or they're not going to be vilified for it and people feel like they're valued," he said.

On the ice, he is a beacon for other players to follow in terms of his work ethic and commitment to playing within the Sabres' system. He tallied 28 points (11+17) in 75 games last season while playing on a checking line primarily with Zemgus Girgensons and Peyton Krebs, mentoring the latter as the year wore on.

"You could bring your neighbor who doesn't know anything about hockey and he's going to see that compete and that work ethic out of Kyle," Granato said last season. "That's the drive. He's as passionate about the sport of hockey as he was when he was 17 years old, and that drive pushes him through."