Detroit Red Wings send goaltender to divisional rival with major free agency decision

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman recently acquired goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks, sending Petr Mrazek back to Southern California in return.

Gibson will form a tandem with veteran Cam Talbot in the Detroit crease, who has another year left on his deal.

The prevailing thought was that coming into the summer, Alex Lyon was likely the odd-man out, and now that has been confirmed. Lyon has joined the divisional foe Buffalo Sabres with a 2-year contract.

It's similar to the situation last summer when Red Wings goaltender James Reimer also joined the Sabres after he himself was the odd-man out upon Detroit signing Cam Talbot from the Los Angeles Kings.

Lyon played in 30 games this year for the Red Wings and 14-9-1 with an .896 save percentage and a 2.81 GAA.

He'll join Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi in Buffalo and will likely serve as backup to Luukkonen while Levi gets more time with the AHL affiliate Rochester Americans.

Before he came to Detroit, Lyon spent time with multiple teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers. He was the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky during what would be the 1st of 3 straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final, though he and the Panthers lost to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Lyon could very well find himself playing against the Red Wings on a handful of occasions over the next 2 years with the Sabres, who have the NHL's longest playoff drought at 14 straight years.