Buffalo Sabres Prediction: Kyle Okposo will be named captain in 2022-23

Kyle Okposo is viewed as a vocal leader in the Buffalo Sabres locker room. So should he be named as the franchise’s next captain?

Assistant captain Kyle Okposo is coming off a good season for the Buffalo Sabres. According to Hockey-Reference, Okposo had 21 goals and 24 assists in 74 games played this year. It was a good bounce back year for Okposo because the last few seasons for him did not go smoothly.

In addition to having a good season with the Sabres, Okposo was also nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy, which is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.

As mentioned earlier, Okposo is viewed as a leader in the Sabres locker room which begs the question: Should he be named as the next captain of the Buffalo Sabres? He would be a good captain so let’s talk about why it should happen.

Kyle Okposo deserves to be the Buffalo Sabres next team captain

All of the players look up to Okposo in the locker room. He was given the team’s Rick Martin Memorial Award, an award voted on by the fans, given to the Sabres player who demonstrates on-ice excellence, resiliency and dedication to the community.

You can see it on the ice and off. Okposo embodies the city of Buffalo and the organization. That blue collar, hardworking, never say die attitude.

Say what you want to say about his performance on the ice the last couple of years. He’s still a hard working player and his leadership is perfect for the culture that general manager Kevyn Adams and head coach Don Granato want in the locker room.

Okposo has one more season left on his contract but even if it’s for one season, he would make a great captain. Depending on how he does next year, it would be nice to see him get extended.

Especially after having a good comeback season. We’ll see what happens but he’s really the only player who deserves to be named the next captain of the Buffalo Sabres.