Devon Levi watch is on for the Buffalo Sabres (Will Levi Sign?)

With Northeastern’s 2-1 loss to Providence, Buffalo Sabres prospect Devon Levi could make the decision to sign with the organization. 

Despite the loss to Providence, Devon Levi shined once again, saving 30 of 31 shots on goal in regulation. Unfortunately, the Buffalo Sabres prospect’s season ended, barring any At-Large Bid into the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament, in the extra period, and now, the good old waiting game has begun.

Will Levi sign with the Sabres and embark on what could be a long, successful professional hockey career? I’m thinking he will. But as we’ve said often at Sabre Noise, don’t expect him to line up between the pipes for the Blue and Gold any time soon. At least not on a permanent basis.

The Sabres don’t need to rush Levi into the lineup, especially with how spotty they’ve been defensively all season, though they didn’t look half-bad tonight despite their own 2-1 loss. And honestly, I don’t want to see him in a Sabres uniform until they address the defense first. The last thing we need is to scar the kid, which would take that long, successful career projection to the wayside.

Is Devon Levi about to sign with the Buffalo Sabres?

Current vibes are saying yes, he will be signing in the near-future. But you can also expect Levi to put in time at the AHL level in 2023-24, and perhaps even in 2024-25.

It also doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get pumped to see the kid in action. Levi’s potential signing with the organization comes with the possibility that he can be the Buffalo Sabres next great goaltender, following the likes of Dominik Hasek and Ryan Miller.

But both aforementioned players paid their dues. Ryan Miller, for example, played three full seasons at Michigan State University, before made 18 appearances with the Sabres between 2002 and 2004. During that stretch, he saw 107 games in Rochester, plus another 63 games the following season thanks to the 2004-05 NHL Lockout.

So expect Levi to sign. But don’t expect any more than a handful of appearances in the net at goaltender next season, and perhaps even the following year. In the meantime, the Sabres will keep building, preferably on defense, then in either 2024-25, or even 2025-26, Levi could be the franchise’s missing puzzle piece.

(Statistics provided by Elite-Prospects and Hockey DB)