Well, it seems I got my wish. Kyle Okposo will be joining the Isles for the last nine games of the season.

“Insert breath of fresh air here.”

Like I’ve said numerous times over the past week and a half, this has been the one thing I’ve been waiting for since the Isles decline. Losing Jon Sim after two games, losing Chris Campoli, Mike Sillinger and Andy Sutton, the Simon suspension, the relative ineffectiveness of Miroslav Satan and Mike Comrie’s insistence to use the toe-drag every game more times than Eric Cartman calls Kyle Brovlovski a Jew in an episode of “South Park” have made this season a bumpy one. Nonetheless, a strong nine games from KO and some of the other youngsters can put me and some of the other restless fans in a good mood come offseason.

Some people feel that this team is just a good defenseman and another scorer away from making the playoffs next season, but they have a lot more work than that to do. Next season should be used just to get guys like Jeff Tambellini, Blake Comeau, Frans Nielsen and KO the opportunity to crack the lineup and get their bumps and bruises they need. For too long has this team tried to tweak and just be good enough to make the playoffs, rather than totally rebuild. Now that decision it seems is an inevitable one.

Getting KO some playing time and I mean real playing time 10-15 minutes a game, in all situations and really assessing what he’s capable of will not only be fun for the fans, but will also help the Isles see where they are at as a franchise. From watching him in Bridgeport a few times, I think he has that killer instinct needed to be successful at the NHL level. He can pass the puck when he doesn’t have a shot and even though he’s classified as a power forward, he’s equally as fast and can draw penalties with his tenacity and grit.

The Isles have also decided to play Okposo with Richard Park, which may benefit both of them more than anyone else thinks. Park has had a solid campaign again this season, but hasn’t been the same offensive player he was earlier in the year. With all the chances he’s had this season, he could easily have twice as many goals as he has now. Nevertheless, the guy is a workhorse on the ice and has a habit of making the players he plays with follow suit. Having Okposo on the ice with Park is a great move by the organization and should make his first cup of NHL coffee an interesting one.