Sabres Activate Alex Lyon, Place Joshua Norris On IR
The Buffalo Sabres will again carry three netminders on their active roster. According to Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News, the Sabres have activated goaltender Alex Lyon from the injured reserve and have placed forward Joshua Norris on it in a corresponding roster move.
Although unfortunate, Norris’ placement on the IR was expected. After suffering an upper-body injury on Wednesday, Norris had his recovery timeline downgraded to week-to-week, following initial reports that it would only be a few days.
Still, it doesn’t appear that a week-to-week timeline is set in stone yet. According to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News Sports, there’s no sense that Norris will be held out of Buffalo’s lineup through the Olympic Break, with head coach Lindy Ruff saying, “This can turn around in a day or two.”
Meanwhile, Lyon will return to the Sabres lineup after missing several weeks of action due to a lower-body issue. Before losing nearly a month due to injury, Lyon was arguably Buffalo’s best option in net, managing a 10-6-3 record in 21 games with a .906 SV% and 2.82 GAA.
Still, regardless of the stability that he’s provided between the pipes, his tenure in Buffalo could be nearing its end. In his introductory press conference, General Manager Jarmo Kekäläinen stated that he has little interest in carrying three netminders on the roster for the rest of the season.
Given his play this season and an affordable contract through the 2026-27 season, Lyon projects as the most movable netminder if the Sabres go that route. Additionally, Buffalo still has youngster Devon Levi knocking on the door in the AHL, meaning there could be a few goaltenders moved out of upstate New York by the end of the season.
Buffalo Sabres Make Four Roster Moves
The Buffalo Sabres announced a series of roster moves today, as they activated veteran Jason Zucker off of injured reserve and recalled defenseman Zac Jones from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. In two corresponding moves, the Sabres placed defenseman Michael Kesselring and goaltender Alex Lyon on injured reserve.
Zucker, 33, has been out since the Sabres’ Dec. 8 contest against the Calgary Flames. Despite losing Zucker, a veteran of nearly 800 games who had 18 points in 21 games before his injury, the Sabres went on a 10-game win streak starting in their first game without Zucker, a streak that only came to an end Jan. 3 at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Per NHL.com’s Heather Engel, Zucker will return to the lineup as the Sabres’ second-line right winger. When he last played, Zucker was the team’s third-line left wing, skating on a line with Jack Quinn and Ryan McLeod. Zach Benson is now in that spot.
The return of Zucker should help the Sabres build more momentum in their push to end their playoff drought, which stands as the league’s longest. The 33-year-old is playing out the first year of a two-year contract extension he signed in March of last year, one that carries a $4.75MM cap hit.
Shifting focus to the Sabres’ defense, the team placed Kesselring on IR after he missed the team’s Saturday loss to the Blue Jackets. The 25-year-old missed nearly a month with a lower-body injury in November and December, and also began the season with a lower-body injury that cost him nine games. The 6’5″ blueliner was acquired by the Sabres over the summer as part of the JJ Peterka trade. The Sabres also received breakout winger Josh Doan from the Utah Mammoth in the deal.
His difficulty staying healthy has cost Kesselring the chance to play a significant role on head coach Lindy Ruff’s defense. Through 16 games played this season, Kesselring doesn’t have a point and is averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time per game, including just over a minute shorthanded.
Replacing Kesselring on the roster is Jones, a former minor league and NCAA standout. Once one of the better prospects in the New York Rangers’ system (he was ranked No. 2 in their pool by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler in 2022), Jones failed to earn a regular role on the Rangers, serving mainly as a reserve defenseman under former head coach Peter Laviolette.
Jones was not extended a qualifying offer by the Rangers last summer, and the Sabres signed him to a one-year, $900K deal with a hefty $550K AHL salary. While he has yet to make his Sabres debut after failing to earn a spot on the team out of training camp, he has been brilliant at the AHL level. Jones has 30 points in 27 games for the Americans, leading the team in scoring.
If Jones gets the chance to play during this recall, it would be a significant opportunity for him as he is a pending restricted free agent. The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn wrote on Jan. 3 that the Sabres “don’t have a lot of internal options Ruff trusts.” If Jones can find a way to earn the trust of Ruff to a greater extent than his rival Sabres depth blueliners have been able to (namely Zach Metsa, Jacob Bryson, and Ryan Johnson), he could secure an extended runway to show off his skills at the NHL level.
To clear sufficient room for Jones’ recall and Zucker’s activation on their regular roster, the Sabres placed Lyon, a goalie, on IR. Lyon has been dealing with a lower-body injury and will now miss at least a week due to this IR placement. The 33-year-old has a 10-6-3 record this season with a .904 save percentage, and is under contract at a $1.5MM AAV through next season. Since the Sabres have been carrying three goalies on their active roster, they are able to place Lyon on IR without recalling another netminder.
With Lyon injured, Ruff and the Sabres will turn to veteran Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and rookie waiver claim Colten Ellis in the crease to help sustain the momentum they built with their win streak.
Photos courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Sabres’ Alex Lyon Out Indefinitely
Dec. 31: Lyon has left the Sabres’ road trip to continue his evaluation and is out indefinitely, the team announced today. Ellis will be activated from injured reserve and will back up Luukkonen tonight against the Stars.
Dec. 30: Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon is undergoing evaluation for a lower-body injury he sustained late in last night’s win over the Blues, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters (including Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News). He didn’t leave the contest, and it’s unclear if he’s going to miss time, but if they don’t have an update by tomorrow morning, he won’t be going in the crease against the Stars on Wednesday.
If Lyon is to miss time, the Sabres won’t need to recall a body from AHL Rochester. Ruff said third-stringer Colten Ellis has cleared concussion protocol and will be available to come off injured reserve if needed in Dallas.
Lyon hasn’t been the sole architect of Buffalo’s nine-game win streak to get back into playoff contention, but he’s been in the crease for most of it. He’s started seven out of nine to boost his numbers on the year to a 10-6-3 record, .906 SV%, 2.82 GAA, and one shutout, recovering well after a strong start followed by a steep crash.
The 33-year-old was signed to be the backup to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen over the offseason but has instead emerged as Buffalo’s leading option in a crowded crease, starting 19 of 38 games with the best numbers on the team. He’s stopped 6.5 goals above expected compared to 1.5 combined from Luukkonen and Ellis, per MoneyPuck.
It was clear after Jarmo Kekäläinen took over the GM’s chair several weeks ago that the Sabres would look to get down to two goalies once Ellis was cleared to return. With the Sabres signing Ellis’ praises after claiming him off waivers from the Blues and Luukkonen signed through the 2028-29 season, Lyon was the most logical trade candidate and has been a person of interest in the Oilers’ search for added depth.
However, his injury could allow Kekäläinen more time to determine Lyon’s future and reconsider his options. Trading away the team’s best overall netminder this season won’t go over well for a team that’s done some heavy lifting as of late to try to end their league-record playoff drought at 14 years. Flipping Ellis, who’s only churned out a .895 SV% through eight starts and has the worst advanced numbers of the three, would be the smarter win-now move, regardless of the 25-year-old’s ceiling.
Image courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.
Oilers Have Made Multiple Attempts To Acquire Alex Lyon
The Oilers have called the Sabres “a couple of times in recent weeks” about the availability of goaltender Alex Lyon, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
Friedman implied that Edmonton had looked at Lyon for goaltending depth in the past. It’s unclear if they made a pass at signing him in free agency last summer before Buffalo inked him to a two-year, $3MM deal.
Lyon was named the Sabres’ opening night starter after a training camp injury made Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen unavailable. The journeyman vet started strong, rattling off a .923 SV% through his first seven starts, but has since regressed significantly. He only made four appearances in November as Luukkonen and waiver claim Colten Ellis took over the majority of the duties, and his numbers on the year now read as a .904 SV%, 2.99 GAA, and 3.9 GSAx, per MoneyPuck.
That’s still the best performance out of the Sabres’ three netminders, though, and great value for his $1.5MM price tag. Nonetheless, newly promoted general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen has indicated he wants to end Buffalo’s three-goalie rotation once Ellis clears concussion protocol and is activated from injured reserve, according to Friedman. With his voice being a significant factor in influencing Ellis’ waiver claim in the first place and Luukkonen inked through the 2028-29 campaign, Lyon will likely be moved to get Buffalo back to a more traditional starter/backup split between Ellis and Luukkonen.
Edmonton’s pursuit of Lyon will presumably only get more aggressive after they lost Tristan Jarry to a lower-body injury last night. He’s departed the Oilers’ road trip and is returning home for evaluation. Connor Ingram and his 102 games of NHL experience were recalled from the Bakersfield Condors to supplement struggling backup Calvin Pickard in Jarry’s absence.
But Ingram has been the worst starter/tandem netminder in the AHL by a significant margin this season with a .856 SV%. Pickard’s NHL numbers this season – a .857 SV% and 3.91 GAA – are barely any better.
Jarry had largely fared well since his arrival in Alberta last week, but with him out, they don’t have a clear-cut NHL-caliber option, let alone a starter. Bringing in Lyon would allow the Oilers to then trade or waive Pickard, although with seven goalies already under contract in the organization, they’d likely prefer the former.
Teams swapping out their opening-night tandem by the time New Year’s Day rolls around is a rare occurrence, but if Edmonton brings in Lyon to supplant Pickard as the new No. 2 behind Jarry, it’ll have happened two years in a row. The Oilers’ desired series of moves is strikingly similar to the set of trades the Avalanche pulled off in November and December last year, sending starter Alexandar Georgiev to the Sharks for Mackenzie Blackwood and swapping backup Justus Annunen for Scott Wedgewood with the Predators.
Image courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.
East Notes: Michkov, Lyon, Marchand
The Philadelphia Flyers completed a dramatic overtime victory over the Minnesota Wild yesterday, but not everything is going smoothly so far to start the season in Philadelphia. While the Flyers have compiled a decent 2-2-1 record to start the year, one of the more notable emerging storylines on the Flyers has been the usage of star second-year forward Matvei Michkov. According to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, the 2023 seventh-overall pick was once again benched by head coach Rick Tocchet late in last night’s game, with Kurz attributing the move to “too many ineffective shifts and careless plays with the puck.”
Michkov has struggled thus far under Tocchet, with just one goal and zero assists through five games. While he remains the Flyers’ top power play forward in terms of time-on-ice per game, his overall usage has declined from 16:41 per game last season to just 14:50 this year. While Tocchet’s usage of Michkov may ultimately help the young forward develop a more well-rounded all-around game, it’s also potentially fair to question whether taking this approach with Michkov, who is one of the Flyers’ most lethal offensive weapons, ultimately hurts the team’s chances to win more than it helps.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- The Buffalo Sabres have rebounded in a strong way since their 0-3-0 start, rattling off consecutive dominant victories against two of last year’s playoff teams: the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers. While Zach Benson‘s return from injury has greatly helped matters, leading the charge for the Sabres has been netminder Alex Lyon, who was signed for $1.5MM AAV this past summer to be the backup to starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Lyon has a .929 save percentage through five games this season, a mark that ranks third in the NHL among goalies with four starts or more. While Luukkonen is likely to remain the team’s go-to starter whenever he recovers from his injury, Lyon is putting together a strong case to receive an increased workload as a backup.
- Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand was fined $5K by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety today, for unsportsmanlike conduct committed in yesterday’s 3-0 loss to the Sabres. The unsportsmanlike conduct occurred midway through the second period when Marchand got into a scuffle with Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin. Dahlin had cross-checked Marchand, and Marchand went after Dahlin as a result, delivering a few punches. Marchand was ultimately taken to the penalty box, but he travelled there with Dahlin’s helmet in hand, and once in the penalty box, Marchand proceeded to rip several straps off of Dahlin’s helmet and toss it back onto the ice. This is not the first time Marchand has gotten into trouble for an unconventional kind of unsportsmanlike conduct: during the 2018 playoffs, Marchand was officially warned by the league after he licked the face of then-Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan.
Alex Lyon Set To Start For Sabres
After a number of moves of late, the Buffalo Sabres are set between the pipes, at least for now; as Alex Lyon will start tomorrow’s game against the Rangers. Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald wrote that the veteran is dialed in, treating it as “just another game.”
While the mindset is admirable, there will be considerable pressure on Lyon to fill in adequately for injured starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Already such uncertainty in net is unfortunate for a Sabres club that desperately needs a strong start. Despite signing a two-year deal in Buffalo over the summer, Lyon did face competition in camp. Along with top prospect Devon Levi, who was reassigned to AHL Rochester, Buffalo brought in a notable name in Alexander Georgiev, who cleared waivers earlier today. Finally, the team claimed Colten Ellis on waivers two days ago, who will back up Lyon for now. Ellis, 25, is an intriguing pickup given his impressive AHL stats in the Blues organization, however, the Nova Scotia native has yet to play in the NHL.
It’s fair to say that a tandem of Lyon and Ellis is questionable at best, however, Lyon will look to prove any doubters wrong, and as he told Hoppe, it is nothing new as his path to the NHL has not been easy. Originally undrafted out of Yale, Lyon spent four seasons mainly with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, with spontaneous call-ups for the Flyers. After stops in Carolina and Florida, where he helped lead the Chicago Wolves to the 2022 Calder Cup, Lyon established himself as a full-time NHLer with the Red Wings, posting a respectable 2.81 GAA last season. The performance earned Lyon some security in a multi-year deal with Buffalo, but the Sabres were probably not expecting that the signing was bringing in their day-one 2025-26 starter.
Now, in what could finally be a do-or-die year for the Sabres and their well-stocked young core, the 32-year-old faces what may be the biggest test of his career. It starts tomorrow when Buffalo hosts their in-state rivals.
Sabres Sign Alex Lyon To Two-Year Deal
The Sabres announced they’ve signed goaltender Alex Lyon to a two-year contract worth $1.5MM per season.
After backstopping the Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup playoffs during the 2022-23 campaign, Lyon earned himself a two-year, $1.8MM agreement with the Detroit Red Wings the following offseason. Despite being ultimately usurped by Sergei Bobrovsky during the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Lyon concluded the season with a record of 9-4-2 over 15 games, achieving a .912 SV% and a 2.89 GAA.
At first, his performance resembled that of the 2022-23 season. Unfortunately, the Red Wings didn’t qualify for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, but it wasn’t Lyon’s fault. The netminder procured a 21-18-5 record in 44 games throughout his first year in Detroit with a .904 SV% and 3.05 GAA.
That quality performance was quickly forgotten this past season. Like many of his peers with the Red Wings, Lyon disappointed during the 2024-25 campaign, earning a 14-9-1 record in 30 games with a .896 SV%, 2.81 GAA, and -2.5 Goals Saved Above Average.
Given the one-way deal for Lyon, the Sabres will either have three netminders on next season’s roster, or the team is again expecting Devon Levi to begin the year with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Despite showing limited growth at the NHL level, it’s unclear what the Sabres expect from Levi to consider promoting him.
During his last two years with AHL Rochester, Levi achieved a record of 41-19-10, with a .922 SV% and a 2.28 GAA, including seven shutouts. Aside from proving his case for another year in the AHL, Levi will now have to compete with Lyon for the backup role in Buffalo for the next two years.
PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article.
Atlantic Notes: Red Wings, Bruins, Battle Of Florida
To the dismay of Red Wings fans, the Original Six team set another franchise record this season by missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for a ninth consecutive season. Max Bultman of The Athletic summarized the Detroit Red Wings’ offseason plans, identifying players they are likely to part ways with this summer.
In his list of ‘possible farewells’, Bultman theorizes that Detroit will let Jeff Petry, Craig Smith, Tyler Motte, and Alex Lyon walk in free agency. Totalling a combined cap hit of more than $5MM, all four of the quartet could be easily replaced internally this offseason, allowing the Red Wings to pursue a higher-impact player.
Lastly, Bultman articulated that defenseman William Lagesson was the only surefire departure this summer. Lagesson largely operated as a depth defenseman this season, tallying one assist in seven games while averaging 14:34 of ice time, when not playing for their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Other notes from the Atlantic Division:
- In an insightful article regarding the Boston Bruins’ head coaching search, Shawn Hutcheon of The Fourth Period exposed a meaningful fact: the hiring General Manager may not be around for more than a year. Don Sweeney‘s contract concludes after the 2025-26 season, and although he’s received an endorsement from team President Cam Neely, plenty can change in a calendar year. For any heading coaching candidate considering joining the Bruins, job security will be something to weigh.
- Over the last several years, the ‘Battle of Florida’ between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers has been a must-see matchup since either team has represented the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final since the 2020 postseason. In the past two years, the Panthers have bested the Bolts, beating them in back-to-back opening-round matchups. In a quote from Josh Yohe of The Athletic, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper conceded the battle, saying, “It was our turn. Now it’s theirs.”
Afternoon Notes: Malkin, Shea, Talbot, Cossa, Svechnikov
The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday without lineup pillar Evgeni Malkin, who is set to sit out with a day-to-day upper-body injury per NHL.com’s Michelle Crechiolo. This will mark Malkin’s 12th absence since January 1st.
Malkin has continued to make a strong impact when he’s healthy. He has three points in his last five games, and 15 points in 23 games since the calendar turned over. Those marks have brought Malkin’s season-long scoring total up to 15 goals and 46 points in 62 games. That’s an 82-game scoring pace of just 61 points – the lowest of Malkin’s 19 year career in the NHL. Even still, he’s ranked fifth on the Penguins roster in scoring and fourth among forwards in average ice time (18 minutes). Malkin remains the focal point of Pittsburgh’s second-line, and leaves a noticeable hole in Tuesday night’s lineup. Kevin Hayes will see a boost in minutes in Malkin’s absence, while Joona Koppanen is expected to step into the lineup once again. Koppanen scored his first NHL goal on March 18th – his only point in four games.
While losing Malkin is always terrible news in Pittsburgh, the team will have a silver lining in the return of oft-used defenseman Ryan Shea, who missed the last seven-games with an upper-body injury – per Crechiolo. Shea has just five points in 30 games this season, though he’s heated up as of late – and played a season-high 24 minutes of ice time in his last game on March 9th. Shea has averaged 20 minutes of ice time in 10 games since January 1st. He likely won’t return to those heights immediately upon returning from injury – but could see his minutes slowly climb over Pittsburgh’s next few games.
Other notes around the league:
- Detroit Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot will be healthy enough to serve as backup in Thursday night’s game, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. St. James adds that Talbot’s return will require Detroit to reassign top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa, who was recalled with Detroit facing injuries to Talbot and Petr Mrazek. Mrazek remains out. Talbot will ease back into the lineup looking to build on his .898 save percentage through 38 games this season. Meanwhile, Cossa will return to the minor leagues looking to maintain his .913 save percentage through 35 AHL games. Cossa has held steady at a .913 Sv% in each of the last three seasons. The Red Wings’ starter’s crease will continue to be manned by Alex Lyon, who’s saved 39 of 44 shots against over his last two starts. Those marks have brought Lyon to a .899 Sv% in 27 games this season – second-highest on the Wings behind Mrazek’s .902 in five games played.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have received a boost of good news, with winger Andrei Svechnikov set to return to the lineup after he missed the last seven games with an upper-body injury per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. The missed games brought Svechnikov up to eight absences this season – his fewest since the 2021-22 campaign. The 24-year-old winger has 18 goals and 43 points in 63 games this season. With such a chunk of missing games behind him, and just 11 games left on Carolina’s schedule, the ‘Canes will likely ease Svechnikov back into the lineup. He’ll likely rotate through a top-six role with wingers like Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall, and Jack Roslovic.
Red Wings Recall Sebastian Cossa, Petr Mrazek And Cam Talbot Out
The Detroit Red Wings have recalled top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa under emergency conditions. Detroit is currently dealing with a mix of unavailability and injury in their goaltending room. Petr Mrazek sustained an undisclosed injury just two minutes into the team’s Monday win over Utah, after catching the stick of Dylan Guenther in a netfront collision. Backup Alex Lyon took over for Mrazek and led Detroit to a 5-1 victory. Lyon will have to man the starter’s net for a second night in a row on Tuesday, with Cam Talbot also out of the lineup for undisclosed reasons, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Talbot has only played four games in the month of March, and just one in the last week.
With Mrazek and Talbot on the shelf, Cossa will receive his first NHL call-up since December. He made his NHL debut in relief of Talbot on his last recall, and managed to lead Detroit to a shootout victory in 45 minutes of ice time. Cossa was returned to the minors in the days after, where he’s been up to his usual antics. He has a 19-11-5 record and .913 save percentage through 35 games on the year and is in firm control of the Grand Rapids Grffins’ starting role. This now marks the fourth consecutive season that Cossa has posted a .913 save percentage. Dating back to his 2021-22 season, Cossa has managed the exact same mark through 46 WHL games, 46 ECHL games, 40 AHL games last year, and now 35 games this year. The performances have been shockingly unwavering through the start of his pro career.
Detroit will be able to hold onto Cossa for 30 days or 10 games before his emergency recall expires. With a full house in the goaltending room, it’s hard to picture Detroit hanging onto their minor-league starter for too long – especially as the Griffins pursue a playoff chase of their own. Mrazek has managed a team-leading .902 save percentage in five games since joining Detroit at the Trade Deadline. Lyon is closely challenging that title, though – with a .944 on Monday bringing his year-long save percentage up to a .901. While Cossa seems like a surefire bet to post a .913 wherever he goes, Detroit might find more comfort in sticking with their vets through the end of the year. The Red Wings are currently three points behind an Eastern Conference Wild Card, down a game.