The Buffalo Sabres have gotten off to an inconsistent start to the 2026-27 NHL season, and they’ve been anything but completely healthy. Not only did captain Rasmus Dahlin suffer a recent injury, but goaltender Alex Lyon was hurt during the preseason and has yet to make his regular season debut.
And unfortunately, it doesn’t sound as though Lyon is going to be back in short order as he was originally projected. According to Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, Lyon experienced a recent setback in his rehabilitation process, pushing his season debut back even further.
Buffalo Sabres Announce Discouraging News On Goaltender Alex Lyon
According to head coach Lindy Ruff, Lyon, who was hurt during the preseason and has yet to play in the regular season, experienced a recent setback.
“Now we’ll just see with rehab and stuff where he ends up,” Ruff said this morning in Scotiabank Arena via Buffalo Hockey Beat.
So far this season, the Sabres have been playing the goaltending duo of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis.
Alex Lyon Is In His Second Season With The Sabres
Lyon, who played college hockey at Yale, departed after his junior season and signed with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2016 as an undrafted free agent. He made his NHL debut in 2018 and earned his first win later that year.
Lyon played several more seasons in the Flyers organization before signing with the Carolina Hurricanes, though he would spend most of the season with the American Hockey League affiliate Chicago Wolves, going 18-4 with three shutouts and winning the AHL’s Hap Holmes Award. He added two playoff shutouts, including a 28-save performance in the Calder Cup-clinching game.
Lyon joined the Florida in 2022 and finished the season with a 7-2 record and 2.00 goals-against average over his final nine starts with the Charlotte Checkers.
He was tabbed the starter for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Panthers before eventually giving way to Sergei Bobrovsky; the Panthers eventually fell in the Stanley Cup Final.
Lyon then spent two years with the Detroit Red Wings before signing a two-year contract with the Sabres last offseason.
Sabres Announce Discouraging Goaltending Update