Will the Buffalo Sabres trade Kyle Okposo in 2022-23?
By Sion Fawkes
The Hockey News revealed their offseason outlook regarding realistic expectations heading into the Buffalo Sabres 2022-23 season.
One speculation Adam Proteau of The Hockey News made involved a potential trade regarding Buffalo Sabres winger Kyle Okposo. While this seems beyond far fetched, especially with Okposo serving as the front runner to wear the C patch next season coupled with his 15-team no-movement clause, Proteau makes a fair point. Here is what he said on the subject:
"“Buffalo will have a couple of veterans that make sense to trade some time in the 2022-23 season: if a team is interested in opening up cap space, they may deal for 2023 unrestricted free agent forward Kyle Okposo and his $6-million cap hit.” – via The Hockey News."
That got me to thinking, there may be scenarios out there for the Sabres to trade Okposo before the trade deadline in 2023. But now we must ask ourselves what type of scenario would motivate the team to trade Okposo? Let’s explore the issue further.
Why would the Buffalo Sabres trade Kyle Okposo in 2022-23?
The Buffalo Sabres would logistically trade Okposo if they, at the trade deadline, fell completely out of contention. The odds of this occurring are unlikely, but given Okposo’s $6 million cap hit against the team, the Sabres would move on from him.
Another situation that could involve Buffalo trading Okposo would be if his production dropped to what we saw in 2019-20 and 2020-21. While this would lower his trade stock, it may still attract a contending team that knows Okposo is capable of producing given his past success in Buffalo and New York.
That said, if the Sabres were to trade Okposo, regardless of his production, I would still expect them to have a higher asking price. If he performs well and the team tanks, look for a higher price regarding any potential trade to a contender.