Last July, the Buffalo Sabres signed goaltender Alex Lyon to a two year contract with a $1.5M AAV. The signing added another option in net, and was seen as an ordinary depth move, but it would turn out to be one of the best bargains across the entire league.
Looking back at Lyon's journey to Buffalo
Lyon was undrafted, but signed with the Philadelphia Flyers after three incredible seasons at Yale University. He bounced between the AHL and being a backup in the NHL for a few seasons.Â
His coming out party came in the 2022-23 season with the Florida Panthers, starting the team's final eight games including a 39 save performance in a 2-1 win over the Sabres that would be the difference maker in Florida making the playoffs over Buffalo. This run earned him a contract with the Detroit Red Wings, where he would appear in 74 games over two seasons.
The Lyon King emerges
Staying in the Atlantic Division, the American netminder found himself a great opportunity in Buffalo. Leading into the season, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was dealing with an injury that would keep him shelved and allow for Lyon to get the bulk of the starts out of the gate. He started 12 of the team’s first 17 games, impressing early despite the results in the win column not always being there. Unfortunately, the heavy workload got to him and he suffered an injury that would keep him out for two weeks.Â
After a night to forget in his return to action, a 5-0 loss to the Devils, Lyon would get hot and never look back. Celebrating his 33rd birthday on December 9, the Sabres were victorious over the Oilers, the first win of not only the team’s winning streak, but Lyon’s personal streak.Â
The Sabres caught fire, winning 10 games in a row. Lyon had another minor injury, and was not in net for the loss that ended the streak. When he came back, he continued his winning ways all the way to his own personal 10-game winning streak, a franchise record for a goalie. Since the streak began, the netminder has won 17 of his last 19 starts, including his third shutout of the season last night, in a 5-0 win against the San Jose Sharks.
Goalie delivers Vezina-worthy season for the Sabres
The toughest argument is that he doesn’t have the win totals to stack up with historical Vezina winners. He holds a record of 20-8-3, typically you’d need 30-plus wins to take home the trophy. This year is unlike previous seasons, there is no runaway winner at this point in the season, like the Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck was last year, winning the Hart Trophy as well.Â
If you factor in the value to their team, Lyon is one of the primary reasons for the Sabres turnaround, and the storyline is sure to be on the minds of voters.
As for the numbers, he’s been having an excellent season, with a .915 SV% and a 2.54 GAA. Among qualified goaltenders, Lyon ranks second in the league in SV%, and 12th in GAA. For those fans of advanced stats, he is sixth in goals saved above expected, and fourth in SV% above expected. After last night he is up to three shutouts on the year, which is tied for seventh. Not only does he pass the eye test, but he has the stats to back it up.
Bottom line? Lyon has a legitimate case to win the Vezina.
Game 1 playoff starter?
If the Sabres continue their trajectory and find themselves in the postseason this year, a decision will have to be made about which goalie will be in net for Game 1 of the first round. Teams don’t typically use a tandem in the playoffs, instead riding the hot hand of their starter. Lyon looks to be the better option and the favorite to be the guy.Â
He has limited playoff experience in the NHL, only starting a few games for the Florida Panthers in 2023 before they turned back to Sergei Bobrovsky. However, he has performed in the AHL, winning the Calder Cup with the Chicago Wolves in 2022.
The Sabres still have him under contract for one more season at his super-friendly $1.5M cap hit, but when he’s eligible for an extension this offseason, the front office will surely be in talks to keep him in Buffalo past next season.