Four days after a punch to the face knocked him out of the Buffalo Sabres' game against the New York Rangers, veteran forward Kyle Okposo has been diagnosed with another concussion, the Sabres announced Tuesday.
Sent to the ice after one punch from the Rangers' Tony DeAngelo, Okposo traveled with Buffalo for the first of three road games on Sunday but did not play against the New Jersey Devils. Then, on Monday, Sabres coach Phil Housley told reporters the 30-year-old winger had been sent home for further medical evaluation. Now, it appears Okposo will be sidelined indefinitely.
Originally drafted seventh overall by the New York Islanders in 2006, the Sabres' alternate captain has had a well-documented battle with concussions for years. Less than a year after inking a seven-year deal with Buffalo and earning first-time All-Star honors, Okposo missed the final two weeks of the 2016-17 season with what the Sabres called a "very concerning" illness. The issue actually resulted from a concussion suffered at practice, as The Athletic later reported, and left Okposo hospitalized in a neurosurgical intensive care unit following suicidal thoughts. The forward also missed a week of action in March 2018 with a separate concussion.
This season, Okposo has appeared in all but one of the Sabres' 58 games. It remains to be seen if and when he will return to the ice.
