DETROIT – Alex Lyon entered each of the past two seasons as the Detroit Red Wings’ No. 3 goaltender, unsure of where it would lead.
He ended up playing 74 games, nearly twice as many as he did before arriving in Detroit (39) and substantially more than any other Red Wings goaltender.
At 32, his career is far from finished, but it’s not likely to continue with the Red Wings. Lyon realized that when general manager Steve Yzerman acquired Petr Mrazek at the trade deadline“It was difficult for a minute, but part of being a successful professional and a successful goalie is being able to get through mentally, things like that,” Lyon said. “I’ve been the third goalie on the roster for my whole career. It’s just something that you got to deal with.”
Cam Talbot ($2.5 million) and Mrazek ($4.25 million) are signed for 2025-26 and top prospect Sebastian Cossa is inching closer to being NHL-ready after three professional seasons, the past two with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Lyon is preparing to hit free agency on July 1.
“Just going to have to see the way the winds blow and there’s a lot of things that are kind of out of my control,” Lyon said. “But it’s a great place to play and loved playing at LCA.”
Lyon surely will attract interest in the market after going 35-27-6 with a 3.09 goals-against average and .901 save percentage in two seasons with a non-playoff team.
“I’m happy. Got to be a full-time NHL player for two years and I would like to continue to be in the NHL,” Lyon said. “The only thing I can do is try to keep getting better and find ways to get more consistent. I wish I could have played better here and helped get us into the playoffs this year. Just have to move forward and just keep grinding.”
After playing for four NHL teams and three AHL clubs in nine pro seasons, Lyon remains confident he can be better.
“I don’t feel satisfied at all,” he said. “I feel still very hungry, and I feel like a 24 year-old again. I still want to keep improving and accomplish more. That’s a big motivation for me. I would like to accomplish more in this league and in hockey in general. I don’t want to sit there and be like, ‘Oh, what a great two years and won, played a lot of NHL games.’ It just makes me hungrier, and it makes the fire bigger.
“I think now more than ever, I feel like you just can’t take for granted being in the NHL. It’s difficult to get there and it’s more difficult to stay.”
