Midway through the 2022-23 season, it was hard to envision Alex Lyon getting a lot of interest in the free-agent market. Now, the former University of Yale goalie finds himself cashing in six months later. Lyons agreed to a two-year, $1.8 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.
It was a whirlwind second half of the regular season and playoffs for Lyon and the Florida Panthers, which allowed him to showcase for the other 29 teams in the NHL.
Lyon Played a Big Role in Panthers’ Postseason Run
It was a bleak postseason outlook for Florida in late March as they were three points out of the final Eastern Conference berth when Sergei Bobrovsky was sidelined with an illness. Lyon was called upon by coach Paul Maurice and the 30-year-old put the team on his back and carried them to the playoffs. He won six consecutive starts from March 29 to April 8 which allowed the Panthers to remain in the hunt with the Pittsburgh Penguins. When the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Penguins to close out the regular season, it allowed Florida to grab the No. 8 spot. Lyon went 9-4-2 with a 2.89 goals against average (GAA) and a .914 save percentage (SV%) in 15 games.
In the postseason against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, he made 26 saves in a 3-1 Game 1 loss, but bounced back and stopped 34 of 37 shots in a 6-3 Game victory. He struggled in a 4-2 Game 3 loss and he allowed a goal to Taylor Hall just over two minutes into the game that set the tone. Maurice replaced him in Game 4 with Bobrovsky and the rest was history as the former Columbus Blue Jackets netminder led Florida to a historic upset after rallying from a 3-1 series deficit that started a run to the Stanley Cup Final. They are not in the spot without Lyon’s strong regular season.
Related: 2023 NHL Free Agency Tracker
Lyon has played for three teams, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Panthers, over the last six seasons and only played in a combined 39 games with a 16-11-5 record. He has a career GAA of 3.05 and a career SV% of .904.
Lyon’s Fit With Red Wings
General manager (GM) Steve Yzerman added two goals in free agency to join Ville Husso, who they acquired last season from the St. Louis Blues in a trade. Before signing Lyon, the Red Wings also signed James Reimer to a one-year, $1.5 million contract to give Detroit three goalies.
Where Lyon fits in remains to be seen, however, he could find himself in the American Hockey League (AHL), but it’s clear that he opened some eyes with his late-season push to help Florida reach the playoffs. Detroit is looking to make the next step in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference to get into the playoffs and they loaded up in net with veterans behind their defense. Depth will not be a problem for the Red Wings this upcoming season between the pipes.