BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres announced Thursday former captain Kyle Okposo has decided to hang up his skates and retire.
The announcement was made on the Buffalo Sabres social media pages. "Congratulations on your retirement, Okie! Yours is truly a career to be proud of," they wrote.
Okposo first got his start in the NHL in 2006 when he was selected by the New York Islanders. He officially signed his contract with them in December of 2007.
He joined the Buffalo Sabres on a seven-year contract as a free agent in July of 2016. Okposo would go on to be named Sabres team captain in 2022, played his 1000th NHL game in 2023, and was traded to the Florida Panthers in March of 2024.
In a press release, the Sabres wrote, "His role transformed during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, which saw many longtime Sabres depart in favor of a young crop of players – many of whom comprise the core of the team’s current roster. Okposo guided the group as an alternate captain in 2021-22, then as the team’s official captain the past two seasons. He was a conduit between the organization and community, even making Buffalo his full-time home for the back half of his tenure. In the dressing room, he was both a shoulder to lean on and a commanding voice."
"It's impossible to overstate what Kyle has meant to this group - he is patient, he is a lifelong learner, he is levelheaded, and most of all, he is proud to be a Buffalo Sabre," general manager Kevyn Adams said when he appointed Okposo captain in 2022.
To read more on Okposo's legacy click here.
