Okposo was hospitalized in intensive care in early April and missed the culmination of the Sabres' season. He played in a total of 65 games during the 2016-17 season, scoring 19 goals and adding 26 assists. His 45 points tied him for fourth on the team.
Reports in mid-June indicated Okposo was expected to be ready for the Sabres' training camp. A return to a trivial summer league bodes well for his 2017-18 outlook in the NHL - and for his personal health.
After wrapping their best season in franchise history, in which they collected 50 wins and 108 points, that success didn't carry over to the postseason, as the Blue Jackets made a quick five-game exit to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Feeling his team needed another weapon in its offensive arsenal, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen made a major move on draft day, dealing Brandon Saad to the Chicago Blackhawks to bring in Panarin.
"It was about us needing a game-breaking type player," Kekalainen told the team's website. "A scorer. A guy who is a power-play specialist. A guy who can win you the tight games."
Panarin, 25, broke into the NHL with the Blackhawks two years ago, capturing the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in 2015-16. The Russian reached the 30-goal plateau in both seasons in Chicago, and accumulated 151 points over the two campaigns.
Panarin's ability to produce on the power play was particularly intriguing to Columbus, as he has put up 41 points with the man advantage over his two NHL seasons.
The Blue Jackets had one of the league's more productive power-play units last season, but it trailed off toward the latter part of the year, finishing a respectable 12th, with a 19.9 percent efficiency rating.
"(Panarin) is one of the most explosive players in the league, and definitely very strong on the power play. That's one his biggest strengths," Kekalainen added. "Great shooter. Great one-timer. But he's also got that great one-on-one skill that we were looking for to create offense ... He will be an exciting player for us."
So, when Williams began packing for his move to the Tar Heel state Wednesday, there were a few items that needed to be packed with a little extra bubble wrap.
Los Angeles defenseman Alec Martinez won a ring with Williams in 2014 while they were each members of the Kings, scoring the Cup-winning goal in overtime, and took the opportunity to chirp his former teammate:
Hopefully your shoe collection gets lost in the move
It's possible that Williams rocks questionable kicks, but what we do know for sure is that the guy can produce when it counts the most. A fact that isn't lost on Martinez:
Says the 3x cup winner, Conn Smythe winner, and #mrgame7. If only your knack for your shoe style was half your ability to produce in game 7s
While NHLers won't be headed to the Olympics, that won't stop Hockey Canada from getting a look-see at who could wear the Maple Leaf in their stead.
Hockey Canada has been in talks with the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and the KHL about holding a series of exhibition games, CEO Tom Renney confirmed to Tim Wharnsby of CBC Sports.
With NHL talent being withheld from the upcoming Winter Games in South Korea, the games would be used as an audition for players outside the league to represent their country, primarily Canadians playing pro in European leagues.
Dzingel, a restricted free agent who has filed for salary arbitration, is looking for $1.95 million on a new a deal, nearly double the $1 million being offered by the Senators, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.
Dzingel appeared in 81 games with the Senators last season, netting 14 goals and 18 assists. The 25-year-old took home $750,000 in 2016-17, according to Cap Friendly.
If the two sides are unable to come to terms, they'll go before an arbitrator, with their case set for Friday.
The NHL has a chance to grow the game more than ever before.
Speaking Tuesday as part of "GameChangers: Creating the Future of Sports," a conference held by The Paley Center for Media, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman highlighted what a focus on digital means for the future of the NHL.
"We have a great opportunity to grow in places and in ways that we've never been able to do it before because we're getting more exposure in more places," said Bettman, who has been in the NHL's top job since 1993.
"Using all of the new opportunities, all of the new platforms, gives us a way to reach fans that we haven't been able to reach before," Bettman added. "If you go back and whether it was the 11 o'clock news or Sportscenter, historically we got less coverage than everybody else."
While the NHL has a long-term U.S. television agreement with NBC, in 2015 it signed a digital rights deal with Major League Baseball Advanced Media in an effort to reach an even broader scope of fans.
"In terms of the size of our audience, not their avidity, but the size has always been impacted by underexposure," Bettman said. "Our footprint is (now) broader than it has ever been."
The Kontinental Hockey League is undoubtedly the second-best hockey league on the planet, containing several players who could be successful in the NHL.
So, if the KHL put together a team of its best players to face off against the NHL's 31 teams in the 2017-18 season, which players would make the cut, and how would they fare?
To answer this, the following parameters should be kept in mind:
The KHL All-Stars would play in the Central Division, giving all four divisions eight teams.
They would play their home games on a North American-sized rink in a neutral North American city. (Use your imagination. Could be Quebec City, Seattle, Milwaukee, etc.)
They would begin training camp a month earlier than the other 31 teams in order to adjust to the smaller rink, as well as life in North America.
The team was constructed with the help of Slava Malamud, a freelance Russian hockey journalist, and Aivis Kalnins, a KHL insider and European hockey scout.
Without further ado, here's the NHL's imaginary 32nd team, the KHL All-Stars:
Forwards
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Line
LW
C
RW
1
Ilya Kovalchuk (34)*
Pavel Datsyuk (39)
Nikita Gusev (25)
2
Kirill Kaprizov (20)
Jan Kovar (27)
Sergei Mozyakin (36)
3
Nigel Dawes (32)
Mikhail Grigorenko (23)
Valeri Nichushkin (22)
4
Linus Omark (30)
Anton Lander (26)
Brandon Kozun (27)
Extras
Geoff Platt (32)
Petri Kontiola (32)
*Age of player on Oct. 1
Notable omissions: Alexander Semin, Nikita Filatov, Maxim Afinogenov, Gilbert Brule, Peter Regin, Brandon Bochenski
Line 1: Kovalchuk and Datsyuk need no introduction. Gusev, who was scooped up by the Golden Knights from the Lightning in the expansion draft, had 71 points in 57 games with St. Petersburg SKA last season.
Line 2: Kaprizov, like Gusev, is an up-and-comer. He's property of the Minnesota Wild, and led the 2017 World Juniors in scoring. Putting him opposite Mozyakin, the KHL's all-time scoring leader, makes too much sense.
Malamud is skeptical of Mozyakin's inclusion. "He is a pure big-rink player. He wouldn't go well on NHL ice, and he knows it," he said.
Despite the assessment, Mozyakin set KHL single-season records with 48 goals and 85 points in just 60 games last year, so it's hard to leave him out.
Line 3: Former New York Rangers forward Nigel Dawes finished second in goals in the KHL in three consecutive seasons. He's had success playing on a line with two North Americans, so placing him on a line with two recent NHLers is a logical fit.
Line 4/Extras: Remember shootout sensation Linus Omark? The former Oiler has turned out to be a pretty productive KHLer. Kalnins notes that he's also become a capable penalty killer overseas. His fellow Swede Lander, meanwhile, recently left for the KHL after putting up 55 points in 42 games with the Oilers' AHL affiliate.
Defense
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Pairing
LD
RD
1
Anton Belov (31)
Slava Voynov (27)
2
Marc-Andre Gragnani (30)
Chris Lee (36)
3
Nikita Tryamkin (23)
Nikita Nesterov (24)
Extra
Mat Robinson (31)
Notable omissions: Evgeny Medvedev, Matt Gilroy, Sami Lepisto
Pairing 1: Voynov was the No. 2 defenseman on the Kings' 2014 Stanley Cup-winning team, and would probably still be in the NHL if he wasn't a criminal. Malamud considers the former Oiler Belov "a KHL star."
Pairing 2: Lee was basically the KHL's version of Erik Karlsson last season, tallying 65 points in 60 games. He and Gragnani "are the best D-men," according to Malamud.
Pairing 3/Extra: Tryamkin and Nesterov played a combined 114 games in the NHL last year. The 6-foot-7 Tryamkin brings size and physicality, while Nesterov is an adequate puck-mover. Robinson, a right-handed shot, is the definition of a journeyman, but Kalnins had this to say about him:
Robinson is among the best two-way D-men in the league, every single team in the KHL would want to have him, and seeing his game firsthand, he really impresses me with how he can play in so many different situations. He can take charge in offensive zone at the same time being the hustle-back guy. His speed is outstanding, only lacks size. A really, really impressive guy.
Goaltenders
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Role
G
Starter
Ilya Sorokin (22)
Backup
Vasily Koshechkin (34)
Notable omissions: Ben Scrivens, Igor Shestyorkin, Ilya Samsonov
Malamud states that Vasily Koshechkin, age 34, "is still the best goalie."
However, Kalnins claims that "once (Sorokin) gets hot, he is the best guy to have in your net."
The upside of the younger Sorokin, an Islanders draft pick, earns him the starting nod in the crease. He had a 1.61 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage in 39 games with CSKA Moscow last year.
While Sergachev was initially shocked to learn he'd be heading south at this stage of his career, it appears he's quickly adapted to his new situation.
"It's amazing that this team wants me more than Montreal, and they want me to come play in the NHL and they want me to try to help them," Sergachev told Corey Long of NHL.com. "That's why I love this team. Montreal needed Drouin and he's from there, and I think this is the only way Tampa (Bay) would have traded him was for me.
"They asked for me."
The trade was undoubtedly a blockbuster, but at this point, it's impossible to determine which team came away with the better player. Drouin is coming off a career-best season, and Sergachev is widely regarded as one of the top blue line prospects in the NHL.
Sergachev has the option to return to the Windsor Spitfires next season should he fail to crack Tampa Bay's roster, but after winning the Memorial Cup in May, he believes he's ready for a new challenge.
"I have to have a good summer, first of all, I have to be stronger," Sergachev said. "I have to be faster to play in the NHL overall to be successful. But I also played a lot in juniors, two years for me, I think is a lot and in Russia I played one year too.
"So I played a lot in juniors and I learned a lot from Windsor … so I think I'm ready for the NHL."
