Major outlet highlights Buffalo Sabres best moment of 2022-23

We all have our own subjective opinions regarding the Buffalo Sabres best moment of 2022-23, but one major outlet absolutely nailed it.

Matthew Morris of The Hockey Writers outlined their top five moments of the Buffalo Sabres 2022-23 season, and they couldn’t have been more right about their number one ranking. Given how exciting the year was, more than a few viable candidates were on the table, but nothing was finer than watching Devon Levi make his debut shortly after signing with the team.

“It was the best and most memorable moment of the year, not only because it fully displayed the culture that the team has developed but also because it showed that maybe, just maybe, good things are coming down the road.” – Matthew Morris, via The Hockey Writers

I like how Morris mentioned culture in the above quote, because it was almost like Levi’s debut put the final piece of framework into one that, since Kevyn Adams took control of the team’s front office, revamped the franchise’s reputation. Flashback to when the Sabres hired Adams, and the organization was in shambles, the laughingstock of the NHL.

Now, three years later, the Sabres have found a young nucleus at every position group. And Levi added to that nucleus at a position that had seen nothing but instability since Ryan Miller left.

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi already made his mark

How often do you see undersized goaltenders drafted in the seventh round start an NHL game just two weeks after they sign with their respective team in the middle of a playoff race? Oh, and it’s also worth mentioning that the Sabres were snapping out of what was arguably the worst stretch of their 2022-23 season.

Stack that onto the shoulders of a kid who was still playing college hockey when that trying stretch began, and it makes Levi’s incredible debut even more amazing. Often, you see goaltenders like Levi sign, then go immediately into the AHL ranks as most are nowhere near ready to see regular time on NHL ice.

But we speculated Levi could be different, and he showed us this was the case during his debut vs. the New York Rangers. He continued to play well over his next six starts, and head coach Don Granato trusted him so much, that Levi became the go-to in the crease while the Buffalo Sabres tried to end their playoff drought.

This is something you won’t see from another goaltender for a while. And when you do, that goaltender must deal with the burden of being compared to Levi.

Source: Buffalo Sabres’ Top 5 Moments From 2022-23 by Matthew Morris