By many metrics, the Buffalo Sabres had a solid 2025-26 season. They won first place in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division, and they won their first Stanley Cup playoffs series in 15 years, beating the Boston Bruins in the opening round before the Montreal Canadiens beat them in Round 2.Â
The Sabres‘ success last season means that TheHockeyNews.com‘s annual grades for Buffalo players will be mostly positive. And in this “Sabres Grades” file, we’re focusing on Sabres goalie Alex Lyon. The 33-year-old posted a .907 save percentage and 2.77 GAA in 36 appearances this past season, and he posted a career-best three shutouts for Buffalo last year.
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Lyon’s current contract has one season left on it at $1.5-million, so he’s delivering great results given his financial impact. But let’s explore what Lyon needs to do with the Sabres in 2026-27, and see why we’ve given him the grade he deserves:
Alex Lyon
Position: Goaltender
Grade: A-
The Skinny: Lyon not only gave the Sabres a strong regular-season, – he also gave Buffalo good performances in the post-season, putting up a .904 SP and 2.59 GAA in 10 playoff appearances. Lyon had only four games of NHL playoff experience prior to the 2025-26 post-season, and you have to give Lyon credit for being a battler between the pipes – and for doing it at a bargain price.
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Lyon will be 34 in December, which means he’s running out of opportunities to win a championship. Lyon doesn’t have to put the Sabres on his back to earn an ‘A’-level grade. But if he can continue putting in good work in Buffalo’s tandem with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Lyon is going to either earn himself a contract extension with the Sabres, or he’s going to get another chance with a different team.
That said, while Buffalo has youngster Colten Ellis in their depth chart for goalies, they’ve been getting great results from Lyon, who is one of the reasons why the Sabres chose to trade former goalie-of-the-future Devon Levil to the Edmonton Oilers this summer. Lyon isn’t the goalie-of-the-future, either, but he and Luukkonen are the goalies-of-the-now.Â
And if Lyon gives the Sabres the same caliber of netminding he gave them this past season, Buffalo management will be delighted – and he might just earn himself an extension to keep him in Western New York for the foreseeable future.
Lyon isn’t going to win a Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie, but he is competent enough to be one-half of a competitive tandem. And as the Sabres prepare to push further next season than they pushed last year, Lyon’s contributions could prove crucial to Buffalo’s Stanley Cup hopes.
