One of the first orders of business for new Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is to end the three-goalie experiment. They have spent most of the season with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis on their roster and trying to figure out the way to get them all ice time.
It hasn't worked, and it has also impacted the depth of other parts of the roster. With the NHL roster freeze set to begin at midnight tonight, there would likely be some urgency on the part of the Sabres general manager.
On Friday's edition of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman said he believes that Alex Lyon might end up being the goalie that is traded. If that is the case, it would certainly be disappointing to see considering Lyon has been the team's best goalie this season.
"One of the things I heard that when Kekalainen arrived and the Sabres previous to him getting there, they both thought very highly of Ellis. The Sabres had done some work on him, and they were big on him before they got him on waivers. Kekalainen had seen Ellis before and liked him, so he is theirs," Friedman said.
"Luukkonen, I don't think he is getting traded now while you are trying to make the playoffs. So Lyon is probably the guy."
Does Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen really gives the Sabres the best chance at the playoffs?
I agree with Friedman that Colten Ellis is probably the one goalie who is not available. He has looked good in his starts this season and is someone who could eventually be a starter or at least give the Sabres a long-term rotation alongside Devon Levi.
However, if the Sabres really want to get back to the playoffs, then Lyon is the goalie they should be keeping. He has played the best hockey out of all three and has been the starter during this four-game win streak for Buffalo.
So far this season, Lyon is 7-6-3 with a save percentage of .904 and a goals against average of 2.99, and according to Natural Stat Trick, has a 3.50 in terms of Goals Saved Above Average. Meanwhile, Luukkonen is at -3.03 in the same stat.
While Lyon has never been a full-time starter over an entire season, a 50/50 split between him and Ellis makes a lot more sense than having Luukkonen as the full-time starter, especially as he continues to struggle.
Edmonton Oilers is the one team the Buffalo Sabres could be looking to trade with
Another reason that Friedman believes that Lyon might be the goalie that is moved is that the Edmonton Oilers really liked Lyon. He said they have done their homework on him, even going back to the summer in free agency.
The Oilers last week completed a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins for Tristan Jarry, but unfortunately, he left the game Thursday night with an injury. It is unknown the severity of the injury but with the NHL roster freeze, the Oilers may have a little more urgency.
In that scenario, Lyon makes the most sense from Edmonton's perspective because he can help the Oilers while Jarry is out but once he returns remain as that top-tier backup.
In the end, there is no easy answer to shortening the rotation, but it is hard to imagine trading the goalie currently on a four-game win streak as the right solution for the Buffalo Sabres.