Panthers acquire veteran right winger

After adding Vladimir Tarasenko earlier this week, the Panthers have made another addition up front. 

They’ve acquired right winger Kyle Okposo from the Sabres in exchange for defenseman Calle Sjalin and a conditional 2024 seventh-round pick. The pick will elevate to a fifth-round selection if Florida wins the Stanley Cup.

Okposo has served as Buffalo’s captain in each of the last two seasons, a fitting reward after eight years with the club. 

Florida will become just the third team that Okposo has played for in his 17-year career, which kicked off when the New York Islanders selected him seventh overall in the 2006 NHL Draft, taking him in the same top 10 that featured Erik Johnson, Jonathan Toews, and Nicklas Backstrom. 

Okposo would play two seasons at the University of Minnesota before making his professional debut in the 2007-08 season and playing out his rookie NHL season in 2008-09. 

He scored 18 goals and 39 points in 65 games as a first-year player, quickly establishing the reliable top-six impact that he’s brought throughout his entire career. 

Okposo has since had five seasons of 50 or more points, including a career-high 69 points scored in the 2013-14 season. In full, he’s totaled 1045 games and 614 points in the NHL.