Personal expectations, growing more consistent motivates Lyon after 2024-25 season with Red Wings

DETROIT -- Alex Lyon has always been about staying present and true to himself, so when reflecting on his past two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, the 32-year-old goalie expressed gratitude for the opportunities he received between the pipes.

“I think now more than ever, I feel like you just can’t take for granted being in the NHL,” Lyon said in his end-of-season media session on April 19. “It’s difficult to get there and it’s more difficult to stay. That’s what I think about. I’m happy I got to be a full-time NHL player for two years. I’d like to continue being in the NHL, so a lot of things up in the air right now that are really outside the scope of my control. The only thing I can do is try to keep getting better, find ways to get more consistent and play better.”

After setting NHL career-highs in games played (44) and starts (43) last season, Lyon appeared in 30 games during the 2024-25 campaign and posted a 14-9-1 record with a 2.81 goals-against average, .896 save percentage and one shutout.

Before signing a two-year, free-agent contract with the Red Wings prior to the 2023-24 season, the 6-foot-1, 196-pound netminder had only played 39 career games over six NHL campaigns.

“I don’t feel satisfied at all,” Lyon said. “I still feel very hungry. Honestly, I feel like a 24-year-old again. I still just want to keep improving and accomplish more. That’s a big motivation for me, is that I would like to accomplish more in this League and in hockey in general. I just don’t want to sit there and be like, ‘Oh, what a great two years and wow, I played a lot of NHL games.’ It just makes me hungrier and the fire bigger.”

Lyon also described how pushing for a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot the past two seasons were important growth experiences for Detroit.

“I think us as players didn’t do a good enough job maybe early in the season,” Lyon said. “Especially last year, I think the team showed really impressive fight obviously those last few games. But, just down the stretch, I think it’s almost inevitable that every team, good or bad, is going to hit a rough time in February, March or April. That’s just the reality of the situation. I think you almost have to build that in and prepare for that.”

Slated for unrestricted free agency this summer, Lyon said that he hasn't put much thought into his future just yet.

“Still kind of just wrapping things up here,” Lyon said. “Just going to have to see the way the winds blow. A lot of things that are kind of out of my control, but [Detroit is] a great place to play.”