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Kyle Okposo Talk HERE!!

islandermaniac

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
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scott99 said:
Scott Stevens used to be an absolute maniac, it didn't take much to get under his skin and make him flip out. He calmed down with experience, and stopped taking stupid penalties. I think Pedan will figure it out, and hopefully with good coaching, he will reach his potential. I don't want him to lose that nasty edge completely.
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i agree that it is easier to calm someone down than to rev them up. see man-built-like-a-truck-who-never-uses-it-to-his-benefit-ever- kyle okposo.
 
islandermaniac said:
the guy is 6 feet and 210 pounds. i'm saying he plays soft for his size. i'm saying it is easier to calm someone down than rev them up. how does okposo NOT fit into that category?
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no, he doesn't even have an engine to rev if he wanted to. Okposo would be useful if he only did one thing and that is ... the second his skates come out of his own zone, make a B-line to the opposing net (with or without the puck) he can not skate around players he is a north-south player. Extremely weak stick handling and not agile at all. Kyle used to do this far more and seems like this year coaches told hm to be a 'corner man' and or dig pucks off the boards, its just not his game, he isn't a power forward, but he does have a nose for the net and a good shot when he uses it. Other than that I have no use for him./
 
InformTheMasses said:
no, he doesn't even have an engine to rev if he wanted to. Okposo would be useful if he only did one thing and that is ... the second his skates come out of his own zone, make a B-line to the opposing net (with or without the puck) he can not skate around players he is a north-south player. Extremely weak stick handling and not agile at all. Kyle used to do this far more and seems like this year coaches told hm to be a 'corner man' and or dig pucks off the boards, its just not his game, he isn't a power forward, but he does have a nose for the net and a good shot when he uses it. Other than that I have no use for him./
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it seems to me as though our opinion of okposo is the same.
 
steveat said:
I think we will see Rhett at camp. The kid has skill, but he doesn't have size. It isn't always a concern. There are a lot of smaller guys doing well at the NHL level. Viz is one of them. Ok, so you cannot compare defence with a forward..in this case I think you can because usually a dman is huge..take a special dman to be productive AND defend....at the same time be only 5'X".err..it's actually way tougher to make it as a smaller dman than a forward IMO.

Anyway...Rhett would not be good for 4th line...he has to be good enough to be 3rd line on right wing, which I think he will have the best chance of success in this league. Not to mention we are hurting for real right wingers. YOu can't teach size so we need a hulking center for him and maybe a banging left winger, like a Matt Martin. OR I could see Persson/Sundstrom/Rakh line be successful in the near future.
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Honestly, I don't see him back any time soon. This year was his opportunity. Next year, with Nino almost a lock and one of Strome or Nelson likely, I don't see a lot of room.

Right now, we have: Moulson, Grabner, Bailey, Okposo, Martin, Nino, Ullstrom at wing next year, and that is if we don't sign anyone else (and I would hope we would bring in at least one proven forward).

Maybe someone (Okposo) is moved, but during the season I don't see the Isles moving a forward without getting one back. In the offseason, maybe. Still, even if one player is moved, it seems highly unlikely that Rakh will be able to crack the roster. Given that the European seasons start in September, I don't see him coming to camp.
 
kasper11 said:
Maybe someone (Okposo) is moved, but during the season I don't see the Isles moving a forward without getting one back. In the offseason, maybe.
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With the way Okposo is playing right now, I'm not sure he's any better than Rakhshani at this point in time.

And Rak likely wouldn't come in here fancying himself a 'skill' player at the NHL level.
 
What Happened to Kyle Okposo?

I just don't get it. In his first few years, he looked really promising and even put up decent numbers. He worked his ass off in games and got scoring chances more often than not. Why has he regressed so much? I've literally never seen a guy get to a puck so much only to fall on his ass every single time, it's like he is learning to skate for the first time :help:

What bothers me about this is we know and we have seen him MUCH better than this. He could be a very very important piece on this team if he played how he used to and didn't slack off. Something tells me that it's a total lack of motivation, I feel like he has no drive to get better which is a huge problem. He got a contract and he has taken his foot off the pedal rather than trying to get better like JT does every single off season. It's a shame too because he could be such a solid player if he worked on his balance, his shot accuracy and his effort level. I've seen him try this season but it all seems so forced to me, like he is trying because he knows that he has sucked and not because he wants to be better.

I don't know, something just doesn't seem right with this guy this season. I used to think of him as the ideal winger for JT on this team but he has really slipped big time.

What do you guys think it is? Poor conditioning? Not doing anything during the lockout? Lack of motivation after his contract? A coach that doesn't know how to light a fire under players ***** and get them playing to their potential?
 
I think it's conditioning and strength. He didn't play during the lockout and looks gassed on 99% of his shifts. He's looked somewhat OK along the boards, I don't think it's a matter of effort or motivation, but he can't go a single shift without falling down. He hasn't been able to protect the puck and lacks the strength to stay on his feet to make a play and get to the areas he needs to get to. It sucks that his value is so low right now, but he really needs to sit for a few games.
 
I think all those years of getting 1st line minutes when the team didn't have anyone else, made him think he's a 1st line forward.

I'm pretty much at the end of the line with him. If he doesn't turn it around starting next game, then I'd like to see him moved this offseason. It's one thing not to score, it's another thing to not get chances & to be this poor defensively.

I also think Capuano should put him on the PK. Maybe get him to focus more on defense again. He was a really solid defensive player his first few years here. I don't know what happened to him though. But something has to change with him now.

And if he doesn't turn it around & all Snow can get for him is a 3rd round pick, then he should take it. It's time for some roster turnover here & it should start with Okposo. We can no longer carry so many soft "top 6" forwards.
 
I'm not sure if I'm remembering this 100% correctly, but wasn't it Okposo who used to always get those one timers off in the slot where he was pretty much on one knee? I haven't seen him in that sort of scoring position in a long time.
 
I see flashes of him here and there. Last night he made a good move to the net but then never tried it again. He has speed and has a little size but seems to have no confidence in himself. Speaking of Stevens. Does no one lay open ice checks anymore ? Was watching some youtube of him and if you had the puck in open ice, he would lay you out. No one hip checks anymore either.
 
IMO Okposo's problems started when he was put on the point on the PP (by Gordon?). That started the slide to his current tentative play. Maybe his shoulder injury contributed as well, but he went from being an assertive north-south player to someone who tries to play a style that is above his skill level. He needs a smart/tough coach to kick his ass and make him play a simple game.
 
His conditioning is clearly an issue- how does he have that great grinding shift, only to disappear later?

He needs a change of scenery, but I don't see it happening. The Islanders need to get him going...
 
BTW, I don't get to see as many games as many of you here, but I noticed in both the Philly game and last night where the goalies made saves and the whistle hadn't blown yet and Okposo was right there and made no effort to whack at or dislodge the puck. And this wasn't in the final minute of a hopeless game, either. It's indicative of a guy who's kind of going through the motions and does not have a passion to score or win.
 
stranger34 said:
maybe he just isn't very good. Anyone think of that?
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He is what he is, but it's not that we're saying he's not living up to expectations. He's not living up to where he was a few years ago. He was better, and now he's regressed. I do think the right coach might do wonders though.
 
Guys, it's my fault. When I saw Okposo was penciled in as Tavares' opening day RW, I drafted him in my fantasy hockey league. My luck when it comes to that sort of thing (picking guys who are "penciled in" a top line but with no proven track record) is pretty poor. So I may have jinxed him. :sarcasm:

In seriousness (though I did pick -- and have since dropped -- him), as much as he's struggling, it's almost unbelievable that he'd have ONE goal in 20 games, despite getting slightly over 16 minutes of ice time per game, and despite playing the first 10 or so of those games beside Tavares and Moulson, who are both producing. How does that happen? You'd think even by accident he'd pot a couple more during that time.

Is it a work ethic thing? Forgetting his offensive production for a minute, is he doing the other things that you'd expect from a top six caliber player? Or is his entire game -- scoring, defensive, physical, etc. -- just a total train wreck?
 
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