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‘All indications’ point to pending UFA Okposo hitting free agent market

New York Islanders v Philadelphia Flyers

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: Kyle Okposo #21 of the New York Islanders looks on before a face off against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 7, 2015 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New York Islanders 5-4. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

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As NHL free agency approaches, Kyle Okposo, a three-time 20-goal scorer who just turned 28 years old, appears closer to hitting the open market.

This past season with the New York Islanders, Okposo scored 22 goals and 64 points in 79 games and is only two years removed from a single-season, career-high 27 goals. Given his age and production, Okposo should be in line for a substantial raise from the $4.5 million salary he earned this past season.

And because of age and production as a talented scoring winger, he could be a popular free agent target for teams around the league.

From Pierre LeBrun of ESPN:

It’s no surprise, but pending UFA Kyle Okposo is all but certainly headed to the free agent market. At 28, the winger is just entering his prime years, so expect there to be some fairly huge interest in him come July 1. Okposo was second in points on the New York Islanders this past season, with 64 (22-42) in 79 games. His agent, Pat Brisson, did recently chat with Isles GM Garth Snow, but it doesn’t sound like anything developed. “All indications are that we’re headed to free agency with Kyle,’’ Brisson said Monday.

Following the Islanders’ second-round playoff loss to Tampa Bay, GM Garth Snow emphasized the importance of trying to bring back three key pending unrestricted free agents, including Okposo, Frans Nielsen and Matt Martin, but admitted that would be a challenge.