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Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction #1

By Sion Fawkes

Mar 31, 2023; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi (27) blocks a shot in the overtime period against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2023; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi (27) blocks a shot in the overtime period against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /
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We are counting down to October 12th, 2023, when the Buffalo Sabres kick off the 2023-24 season vs. the New York Rangers.

On Day 75 of this 75-part Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions Series, the puck will drop vs. the New York Rangers on October 12th, officially kicking off the 2023-24 season. So let’s get BOLD and make 75 outrageous predictions in the days leading up, and the day of, the season-opening game.

And to start things off, I am going to get ultra-bold here with Prediction #1: Devon Levi edges out Connor Bedard for the Calder. 

Ask anyone, and they will likely say it’s a foregone conclusion that Connor Bedard will win the Calder. And the 18-year-old phenom is understandably the favorite. But it’s an 82-game season, and literally anything can happen between October and April.

Once, I called Levi the Brock Purdy of the NHL, considering his late draft status and supposed limitations “justifying” that status. But so far, Levi has done what few young goaltenders can at the NHL level – enter the season amidst the team’s first late-season playoff run in quite some time and put up good numbers – sort of like what Purdy did last season in the NFL.

Buffalo Sabres Bold Prediction #1 – Devon Levi wins the Calder

Levi knows the game’s speed, and it only helped that he was basically forced to play playoff hockey across most of his first seven contests. What’s more amazing? He made his debut mere weeks after he was manning the net at Northeastern, without much time in between to get fully acclimated to the NHL game.

Levi now had a full offseason to refine any potential drawback to his game, and he will also put those refinements to the test in the preseason, giving him even more live, in-game reps before the puck drops on October 12th. He will also have better defensive play in front of him, which will take off a lot of pressure, and we also can’t forget that the Sabres are a high-octane team that can build comfortable leads.

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Overall, Levi’s numbers could easily be better in his first full season with the Buffalo Sabres than they were in his seven-game cameo. And while the world expects Bedard to win the Calder, you can’t count out other contenders just yet – not when we’re so far out from the regular season commencing. So why not peg Levi in as a serious candidate to win the Calder?

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