Buffalo Sabres forward Kyle Okposo continues to shine, having helped ignite the team’s comeback win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
For a young team like the Buffalo Sabres, forward Kyle Okposo is one of the more valuable assets. And in 72 games this season, his 43 points are more than the combined 32 he recorded throughout 87 games in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
Okposo, who turned 34 on Saturday, is now threatening career highs both points and assists during his time with the Sabres. While he won’t reach his overall career high in points (69) this season, which he set in 2013-14 with the New York Islanders, his performance shows he’s improving with age.
On Saturday, Okposo’s 20th goal of the season marked a new career high in goals scored with the team. With four games remaining on the slate, it’s clear the aging forward may not be finished yet.
Forward Kyle Okposo can realistically set new highs in assists and points in his career with the Buffalo Sabres
Okposo isn’t just setting single-season career highs over his time with the team; he is reaching milestones the Sabres haven’t seen in decades. On Saturday, he became the oldest Buffalo Sabre to score 20 goals since Dave Andreychuk in 2000-01 – via Buffalo Hockey Beat.
The Sabres forward has also notched career-highs since his arrival in 2016-17 in total shots on goal with 170, power play goals (8), and face-off wins (92). Okposo is also in range of setting new career-highs with Buffalo in shooting percentage and takeaways.
Can Okposo accomplish all of the above in four games? If so, he can honestly say his best season came during his sixth year with the franchise came at the ripe age of 33-34.
While the Sabres are undoubtedly looking to age in reverse, it’s clear that Okposo, given his performances this season, is in the future plans. When the season began, it’s clear the forward was probably on his last chance with the Sabres. If he has a repeat performance next season, it’s likely he and the Sabres will be having contract talks.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)