After nine seasons as a member of the New York Islanders, Kyle Okposo is cashing in and heading to Buffalo on a $42M deal over seven years. It's a solid move for both parties, as Okposo has averaged .91 points per game over the last two seasons and gives the rebuilding Sabres a strong forward that can occupy a top six role.

The term, as is often the case in free agency, is likely to get a little messy down the road, as Okposo is already 28 years old. It's a cost to lure a top free agent to a team that has been in the basement of the standings for a few years running, and the AAV -- $6M against the cap -- isn't horrible. The knock on Okposo is that his tires are pumped by playing next to John Tavares, as evident by their WOWY (via Puckalytics.com):

It's a fair critique, as Okposo played about three-quarters of his ice time next to Tavares and saw a modest increase in CF%. If Okposo can draw on a line next to Jack Eichel, however, this risk is mitigated as Eichel should blossom into a solid playmaker as Tavares did. Don't underestimate the value of having a stable winger that has proven the ability to not be a liability playing next to a superstar center; look at how many wingers Sidney Crosby has played with.

Fantasy Slant

Okposo is all but assured a top six role in Buffalo, so that means his pivot will either be the aforementioned Eichel or Ryan O'Reilly. For fantasy purposes, Okposo would be better served next to Eichel. Eichel, last year's second overall pick in the NHL draft, has all the makings of a future superstar. That's not to say O'Reilly is a slacker, as he is a fine set up man, but O'Reilly's line does tend to play against more skilled forward lines of the opposition.

There is upside with Okposo and he should come in between 50 and 60 points, trading some of the 42 assists he had last season to build on the 22 goals he scored. Yes, he will suffer from not playing next to Tavares, but his situation isn't too far of a step down, and he will likely be put in a role to shoulder some more offensive responsibily. Okposo should also see time on the power play, though he notched 23 points (seven goals) on the man advantage last season -- numbers that likely won't come in much higher.