Where Does Alex Lyon Fit Into The Flyers' Goalie Logjam?

ALLENTOWN, PA -- After a whirlwind year for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018-19, a year that saw the NHL team start eight different goaltenders in net throughout the season, the organization certainly made the goaltender position a point of emphasis in the offseason too. Even if they do have Carter Hart.

The Flyers signed goaltender Jean-Francois Berube in free agency to bolster the organization's depth, and they brought back veteran netminder Brian Elliott into the fold, presumably to form a tandem in the NHL with Hart.

With Felix Sandstrom and Kirill Ustimenko entering their first seasons of pro hockey in North America this fall, where does Alex Lyon fit in the organization's plans moving forward?

Lyon, who turns 27 in December, was one of the first of those eight goalies to see NHL action with the Flyers last season. Unfortunately an untimely injury, followed later by the emergence of Carter Hart, prevented Lyon from seeing much NHL time in 2018-19.

Instead, Lyon put together what he told Inside AHL Hockey at main camp last week was a consistent showing in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this past season.

"You know, there was the eight-goalie thing but to be honest for me I was up for a little bit - like three weeks - and then I was down for the whole season," Lyon recalled of his 2018-19 season. "I had a lot of continuity last year."

While his 19-17-3 record last season isn't flashy, the Baudette, Minnesota native steadied the ship for the Phantoms through a myriad of injuries, call ups and roster moves due to the NHL affiliate's lack of success. Lyon allowed three or fewer goals in more than half of his regulation losses last season.

"I thought I took a really big physical step the year before, and my consistency was really good last year," Lyon explained. "So this year I just kind of focused on the physical side again this summer and I'm feeling really good right now. Confident."

Lyon fared well in his final NHL preseason action before being placed on waivers Saturday, stopping 9 of the 10 shots he faced in 18:23 of work in the third period vs. Boston last Thursday.

Though it appears that there are abundance of goalies signed and expected to play in North America, Lyon didn't seem too concerned about the extra depth and increased competition for playing time. Of course, everyone knows how quickly injuries and call ups during the course of the season changes everything.

"Even if you're at the AHL level you want to be in the NHL, but it's also no fun to be worrying about if you're going to get called up every single night of the week," Lyon said, adding, "Having that consistency and kind of knowing how things are going to be really makes a huge difference. I think that this year we are all looking forward to just a little more consistency, from top to bottom "

Still, having six goalies signed to NHL contracts seems less than ideal at the current time. There are only so many nets for these guys to fill, and the netminders will surely need to make their starts count in the early stages of the preseason and into the regular season.

"With my situation, I don't know what this year is going to look like necessarily so I'm just trying to make myself as good a product as possible," Lyon said of the plethora of goalies in the organization.

In the meantime, Lyon is focused on making the most of his ice time moving forward regardless of the situation. Entering his fourth season at the pro level, he wasn't sure how to answer a question about whether he views himself as a veteran now, or still one of the young guys.

"I've asked myself that question," Lyon said with a smile. "I think I try to use that to my advantage both ways. I can have a good conversation with the vets and also try to be a good teammate to the younger guys. I try pride myself on that," he added, noting he didn't think he was that good at being a good teammate when he first turned pro.

For now, Lyon seems more focused on what he can control than things that aren't up to him.

"For me, I guess just trying to be happy and positive and play the best hockey I can."