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Garth Snow wishes Okposo 'nothing but the best' ahead of free agency

Mike Stobe / National Hockey League / Getty

Garth Snow doesn't sound like a general manager who'll be able to retain Kyle Okposo's services moving forward.

Speaking Friday on SiriusXM's "Stellick and Simmer" show, the New York Islanders' GM said Okposo has been a terrific player both on and off the ice.

"We're just in a situation with the salary cap that you really have to analyze where you are today and where you're going to be five years from now," Snow said. "There's always tough decisions. We're not the only team that has tough decisions to make and potentially could lose free agents on July 1.

"Kyle is a great person and has been a terrific player for this organization. I wish him nothing but the best."

Snow's comments come on the heels of Okposo's agent saying all signs point to his client hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

Okposo, 28, is coming off a five-year deal that carried a cap hit of $2.8 million, a valuation that will likely rise significantly as early as July 1. The Islanders, meanwhile, have close to $14 million in available cap space (according to General Fanager), with plenty of holes to be filled in the forward ranks this season.

Okposo was drafted seventh overall by the Islanders in 2006, averaging 0.7 points per game in 529 career appearances.

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