Sabres Activate Alex Lyon, Place Konsta Helenius On IR

According to a team announcement, the Buffalo Sabres activated netminder Alex Lyon from the injured reserve. Not only has Lyon been activated from the injured reserve, but he will also make his season debut tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Lyon, 33, is in his second year with Buffalo. The 10-year veteran signed a two-year, $3MM ($1.5MM AAV) contract with the Sabres as an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. In his first year with the Sabres, he created a strong tandem with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, finishing 20-10-4 with a .907 SV%, 2.77 GAA, and 10.3 Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA).

Unfortunately, Lyon has been prohibited from building on last year’s success. Although it wasn’t believed to be a long-term issue, an upper-body injury and a setback cost Lyon the first month and a half of the 2026-27 campaign. Without Lyon, Buffalo has made do with Luukkonen and Colten Ellis. They have combined for an 8-7-3 record with an .869 SV%, 3.47 GAA, and -10.5 GSAA.

Although he’s carried three netminders on the roster since becoming General Manager, Jarmo Kekäläinen could have some interesting roster decisions to make, especially if Lyon plays well. The Sabres are dealing with injuries in both their forward and defensive corps, which could motivate Kekäläinen to waive Ellis for roster flexibility.

Unfortunately, Lyon’s activation comes with some bad news. To make space on the roster, Buffalo placed Konsta Helenius on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He is considered week-to-week.

Before the injury, the former 14th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft started slow. In 11 games, Helenius scored one goal and three points with a -2 rating, while averaging 13 minutes of ice time per game. He offered decent physicality, but no metric suggests he excelled in any particular area.