According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Sabres are set to sign free-agent goaltender Alex Lyon. The details of the contract are not yet finalized or announced, but it's expected to be similiar to his two-year contract at $900,000 AAV that he was just coming off from the Red Wings.
In 30 games last season, Lyon had a 14-9-1 record with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage. With Cam Talbot signed for one more year and GM Steve Yzerman trading for John Gibson from the Ducks, it became clear there was no chance Lyon was heading back to Detroit.
Lyon has had some good flashes of talent in his career, but has been unable to find consistent playing time wherever he ends up. In 113 career games, Lyon has a record of 51-38-11, with a 2.99 GAA, a .902 SV%, and four shutouts.
Lyon will look to contend for the backup position with Devon Levi, as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen remains the starting goaltender for now. However, don’t look past Lyon playing 30-40 games for the Sabres this year, as they look to keep the workload off of UPL for the foreseeable future.
As the Sabres look to bolster their depth and make a playoff run for the upcoming season, Lyon's signing with the Sabres is more important than people realise. As the Sabres now have three solid goalies, all of whom have fantastic potential.
Watch for the Sabres to improve immensely on defense this season, as they sharpen up the back end of their roster.