The Buffalo Sabres were not very busy on the opening day of free agency, adding to their forward depth group with the signing of veteran Justin Danforth and adding goaltender Alex Lyon to the mix on a two-year deal. The 32-year-old spent the last two seasons with Detroit and served as the backup to Cam Talbot with the Red Wings, going 14-9-1, with a 2.81 GAA and .896 save %.
Lyon replaces veteran James Reimer as the third option between the pipes for Lindy Ruff, but at this point he does not know what his role will be with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen penciled in as the starting goalie and youngster Devon Levi vying for a spot on the NHL roster after a second straight solid season with the AHL Rochester Americans.
Other Sabres Stories
Byram Situation Leaves Sabres In Limbo
Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere
"I've been in many situations where you go in with a certain expectation and then it doesn't transpire that way at all," Lyon said in a Zoom call on Tuesday. "I can't really give you a concrete answer. I don't really know. My aspiration is always to play as many games as possible and win as many games as possible and I think that that's a good mentality to have. You have to be ultra competitive in the goalie room, but also extremely supportive at the same time. It's a really fine balance to to strike, but I think that's a strength for sure that I have."
Levi was demoted early last season after Reimer was reclaimed from Anaheim off of waivers and remained in Rochester for most of the season. Luukkonen had a subpar campaign after being handed the starting job and appeared to have lost his job to Reimer the last three weeks of the season. Lyon, who played 44 games for the Wings two years ago and got the Florida Panthers in the playoffs with a late run in 2023, could serve as the backup to Luukkonen to allow the Sabres to send Levi down to the AHL to start next season, or could be a safety valve if Luukkonen struggles again.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo