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Friedman: Oilers ‘poked around’ Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon ahead of Jarry trade
Alex Lyon
Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Michael Menzies
Dec 12, 2025, 19:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 12, 2025, 19:05 EST
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Tristan Jarry wasn’t the only goalie the Edmonton Oilers were interested in.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman’s 32 Thoughts blog, posted Thursday night before the Jarry acquisition Friday morning, general manager Stan Bowman was looking at one of the Buffalo Sabres netminders — Alex Lyon.
“In addition to Tristan Jarry, I believe the Oilers poked around Alex Lyon. Not as seriously as Jarry, but it was there. One thing I should have mentioned last Saturday about Jarry, in addition to Pittsburgh’s unwillingness to eat salary, is that the Penguins’ surprise addition to the Eastern Conference race gives them less motivation for an in-season sale. Not impossible, but not as high a priority.”
​Oilers fans saw Alex Lyon on Tuesday, when the Sabres beat the Oilers 4-3 in overtime. Colten Ellis started the game, but after a collision with David Tomášek near the end of the 1st period, a concussion spotter pulled him from the game.
Buffalo has used three goalies on the active roster throughout November, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen also in the mix. Lyon was trending to be the odd man out. In fact, since Nov. 13, Lyon has started just twice out of a possible 14 games.
That was until Buffalo’s matchup in Vancouver on Thursday night, where Lyon made 30 saves in a 3-2 win over the Canucks.
His numbers this season are a 5-6-3 record, with a 3.13 GAA and .902 save percentage. Although he’s been primarily a backup in his career, the Detroit Red Wings leaned on Lyon heavily in 2023-24, where he started 43 games, posting a 21-18-5 record, a .904 save percentage and a 3.05 GAA.
Edmonton shook up their crease on Friday morning with the acquisition of Tristan Jarry, shipping Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a 2nd round pick in 2029 to Pittsburgh.

Still a chance?

Could a trade still be possible?
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said on Friday that backup Calvin Pickard will remain with the team. The Oilers also have the option of re-calling Connor Ingram from Bakersfield, although his numbers have been sub-par.
Although there’s been pressure from the Buffalo fanbase to solve their three-headed monster in net, a trade seems unlikely at this point. Picked up off waivers before the season began, Ellis is now on injured reserve due to that collision. His timeline to return is unknown right now.
Luukkonen asked for a trade in October amidst the crease logjam, saying he wants more starts, and he has been getting them more consistently. His contract expires in 2028-29, with an annual cap hit of $4.75 million, and the trade talk has seemingly died down.
In the long term, the Sabres have prospect Devon Levi they envision as their starter for the future.

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