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Kyle Okposo likely will be on the ice for Buffalo Sabres training camp in September after an undisclosed illness caused him to miss the final six games of the season, general manager Jason Botterill said Thursday.
“We’ve had conversations with him and everything is looking great from Kyle. He physically looks great, mentally looks great,” Botterill said at the introductory press conference for new coach Phil Housley. “… From our standpoint, everything will be ready for him at the start of training camp, just like all our other players.”
Okposo, 29, reportedly was hospitalized for less than a week at Buffalo General Medical Center after being admitted April 2. He played two games after returning from a rib injury that caused him to miss 10 games before becoming ill prior to a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 28.
Okposo had 19 goals and 26 assists in 65 games this season, his first with the Sabres after signing a seven-year contract reportedly worth $42 million on July 1.
Selected by the New York Islanders with the seventh pick of the 2006 NHL Draft, Okposo has 414 points (158 goals, 256 assists) in 594 games with New York and Buffalo.
The Sabres hired Botterill on May 11 and Housley on Thursday after firing GM Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma on April 20. Buffalo went 33-37-12 and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, finishing 17 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
(Reprinted with permission of NHL.com)
