When should the Buffalo Sabres play Devon Levi?

The Buffalo Sabres have been horrendous lately, yet it’s only a matter of time before rookie goaltender Devon Levi sees some action. 

So who is more responsible here? The goaltender or the defensive rotation? In the last 11 days, the Buffalo Sabres have allowed 32 goals. Yeah, that’s nearly three goals PER DAY. Now, per game, it’s a meager 5.3.

Clearly, we’ve seen the Blue and Gold become Fools Gold since March 9th, really, since late February when they lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets. So, my conclusion is that this is a collective effort.

Of course, the goaltending needs to be better, but at the same time, the Sabres HAVE GOT to get better playing defense. I mean, how many breakaway attempts does one team need to give up here and how many times do they need to be caught out of position before they get it? 

Would Devon Levi be doing a better job than the trio of Craig Anderson, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Eric Comrie? Honestly, we don’t know, because we haven’t seen Levi play yet. But can he do any worse? You wouldn’t think so.

When should Devon Levi debut for the Buffalo Sabres?

Listen, there is no way you play a kid with no NHL experience when your defense is playing that badly. Yeah, I’ll concede once more – the Sabres goaltenders need to step up and stop at least some of these scoring chances.

But this isn’t that I don’t believe in Levi, or that the Sabres should protect him during these tough times, or anything like that. For one, we’ve seen a lot of players get thrust into action too early, especially in Buffalo. Many times, it hasn’t ended well.

And this is a team that hasn’t had a franchise goaltender in nearly a decade. So the last thing the Sabres need is to squander this chance with Levi. However, he’s going to play, whether myself, or anyone else not wishing to rush him, likes it or not.

That’s why he’s in, or coming to, Buffalo. They’re going to roll with Levi at some point, and I’m projecting he plays between three and four games. But looking at the schedule, I’d like to see the coaching staff put him in the best position to succeed.

So if I were in charge of Levi’s debut, I’d play him on March 27th at home vs. the Montreal Canadiens. His second game? A road affair against the Detroit Red Wings on April 6th. And finally, I’d give him one of the two final games – either at home vs. the Ottawa Senators, or on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

We want him to succeed, and to play him against weaker opponents on the schedule will put Levi in the best position to get acclimated to the game. If he performs well there, then it’s onto camp in September, where I’d give him an extended look in the preseason, before deciding what to do with him next.