Buffalo Sabres: Grading each goaltender’s 2022-23 season
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres goaltenders struggled as a unit in 2022-23. Bad defense was a cause, but they also didn’t help themselves.
Goaltending was a problem in 2022-23, and if it wasn’t for Devon Levi arriving in the final month straight out of college to save the situation, it’s safe to assume the Buffalo Sabres were in prime contention for hosting the worst goaltending unit in the NHL. But ironically enough, thanks to Levi, the state of the Blue and Gold’s goalie room may not be half bad in 2023-24.
The only question is, if Levi is the undisputed number one goaltender heading into next season, who will back him up? Craig Anderson is retiring, and neither Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen nor Eric Comrie showed us that they can be long-term fixtures in the net.
So how good was Levi, how serviceable was Anderson, and how bad were Luukkonen and Comrie? Keep reading for a full breakdown.
Grading Buffalo Sabres goaltenders in 2022-23
Best in Class – Devon Levi
My narrative regarding Devon Levi transformed from, “He will sign and go to Rochester,” to “He will be the Buffalo Sabres top goaltender in 2023-24.” While Levi will face his challenges next season, such as grinding through an 82-game slate and responding to opponents exploiting potential weaknesses, he showed more than enough over the past month to prove he’s ready.
Levi finished the year 5-2, and allowed two or fewer goals on three different occasions. His 201 saves in 222 shots on goal was good enough to give him a 0.905 save percentage, and his 2.94 GAA was the only one on the Buffalo Sabres under the 3.00 mark.
He also earned First Star honors twice in his seven games, and he is a rare seventh-round pick capable of making such a leap from the college ranks to the NHL. Expect Levi to play a lot next season. Grade: A