Sabres fans should be excited about Devon Levi’s potential

The trade that the Buffalo Sabres made that sent Sam Reinhart to the Florida Panthers was a tough pill for Sabres fans to swallow. In return for Reinhart, the Sabres received a 2022 first-round draft pick and goalie prospect Devon Levi. Although he is young, there is a lot to be excited about when looking at Levi.

As the Sabres continue their seemingly never-ending rebuild, it is extremely important for them to acquire as much young talent as they can. Preferably, players with high ceilings as well. Devon Levi fits that description well. As a 19-year-old, Levi has his entire career in front of him, and if he can continue to perform as he has in junior tournaments and lower leagues in his home country of Canada, he could be something special.

Levi had an amazing 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship performance for Canada. In seven games played in the tournament, Levi posted an incredible save percentage of 0.964 and a mind-boggling goals against average of just 0.75. He helped Canada to a silver medal in the tournament, as they fell to the USA in the finals. In the 2021-2022 season, Devon will be playing college hockey at Northeastern University.

After being drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Entry Level Draft by the Florida Panthers, this teenage goalie prospect has the skills, and the highlights to back it up, to be a future NHL goaltender. Even though the return the Sabres got for Reinhart maybe was a little lackluster, especially when you compare it to what they got in return for Rasmus Ristolainen from the Flyers, Levi could be a great long term get for Buffalo.

If Buffalo can keep him within the organization for a few years, he could certainly begin to work his way through the pro ranks of hockey. But it would likely be a few years before we see Levi anywhere near even the AHL. But, at the moment the Sabres have nothing but time, so there is no risk in taking time to try and develop promising young talent.