Sabres name Okposo captain; Dahlin, Girgensons as alternates
Published
The Buffalo Sabres have named forward Kyle Okposo as their 20th captain in franchise history.
Rasmus Dahlin and Zemgus Girgensons will serve as alternates.
Okposo, 34, had 21 goals and 45 points in 74 games last season, his sixth with the Sabres.
Signing a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Sabres in July 2016, Okposo succeeds Jack Eichel, who wore the C for Buffalo for three seasons (2018-21). He also served as assistant captain for five seasons.
"I'm proud of where this organization is and not naïve enough to think that it's all because of me or anything like that," Okposo said.
"I'm just happy to be a part of it. I'm happy to be somebody that the guys in this organization and the guys that play on the team can look up to and try and continue to move this culture forward. I'm just so proud of where we're at from a team standpoint. It's not a guarantee that the results follow a good culture, but it's a hell of a good start. That's what I'm definitely most proud of over the last year."
"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," Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said.
"When times get difficult, Kyle knows when to speak up, and when he does, the team takes it to heart. Kyle and his family have made Buffalo their home and want to see our organization succeed, both on and off the ice. I am proud that Kyle will represent our organization with class and dignity."
In 909 career NHL games, the St. Paul, Minn., product has 219 goals and 564 games split between the New York Islanders and Sabres.