New York Islanders forward Kyle Okposo is one of those guys you always seem to find on successful NHL rosters. He combines a gritty, hard-working style of play with size and enough talent to ensure consistent point production playing alongside his team's best players. In short, Okposo plays the game the right way.
Unfortunately, Okposo, in the final year of a five-year deal that carries a $2.8 million cap hit - though it pays him $4.5 million this season - is facing what can rightly be deemed an uncertain future in the NHL.
Okposo, speaking with ESPN's Scott Burnside, admitted that his contract status is something that's always on his mind, but the soft-spoken winger also said that he's at peace with where things are.
"I'm OK though with where the things at," Okposo told Burnside. "There's really been no dialogue, and that's OK. I'm fine with that. I'm fine with just going out there and playing and trying to do everything I can to help this team. I think we have enough here to be there in June and to be the best team in the league. That's definitely my main focus. You try to put that stuff out of your mind as much as you can."
Okposo's value will be difficult to determine for Islanders GM Garth Snow. He's still young at 27, and his physical style has in the past robbed him of time on the ice. But when he's healthy, Okposo has been highly effective playing alongside New York captain John Tavares. Last season, Okposo potted 18 goals and 51 points. The season prior, he notched a career-high 27 goals and 69 points.
This year, Okposo has already accumulated 10 goals and 31 points in just 38 games.
Perhaps just as important, he's a player other Islanders look to for guidance.
"I mean, the last few years he's really kind of come into his own, his game. Obviously been producing at a very high rate. I think he's just got a good understanding of who he is, the type of player he is," Tavares told Burnside.
"He's a big leader for our team, someone I really rely on, really lean on to help me not just on the ice but off it. It's a lot more than just putting up numbers. It's a lot of things that people don't see, behind closed doors and what happens in the locker room on a daily basis."
Okposo, of course, will be looking for a major upgrade on his current deal. So, the fact that he remains unsigned isn't entirely due to Snow's lack of interest, but likely Okposo's asking price.
Just what that asking price is has yet to be determined, but the remainder of this season could go a long way towards determining whether or not Okposo returns. As could the Travis Hamonic situation. Reports from last season and earlier this year suggested that Okposo was on the trade block and could be had "for the right price," but nothing, obviously, came of it.
In the end, Snow would surely prefer to keep Okposo, but if Okposo is OK with the lack of contract talks, he may very well be OK with moving on to a new hockey home, whether ahead of the trade deadline or during what should be an active offseason.
