The Buffalo Sabres are facing a lot of goalie questions ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season as the top two goaltenders on their depth chart, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon, are dealing with injuries, while a blockbuster trade for the Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck has remained elusive.
It's led to a renewed round of talk about former Sabres netminder Devon Levi, who was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in July in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet sees a bright future for Levi in Edmonton, as discussed on Monday's edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast.
"You know who my breakout player [choice] was? Devon Levi," Friedman said. "I told one guy I was doing that and he says, 'You know what this reminds me of? Anthony Stewart picking Jack Campbell to win the Vezina.'"
The Oilers will hope Levi has a more fruitful career in Canada's Festival City than Campbell, who failed to live up to sky-high expectations after arriving to the organization in 2022.
Levi made an immediate jump to the NHL after signing with the Sabres, who'd acquired him from the Florida Panthers in the 2021 Sam Reinhart trade, in 2023.
He'd just completed a standout college career at Northeastern University, where he'd twice won the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA's top goalie (2022 and 2023). He posted a 1.90 goals against average and a .942 save percentage across 66 appearances for the Huskies.
The Canadian enjoyed immediate success in Buffalo, posting a .905 SV% in his first seven games with the Sabres to nearly help the club earn a playoff berth late in the 2022-23 season. They ultimately fell one point short of the postseason.
His place in the organization stagnated from there, though. He spent most of the last three years with the AHL's Rochester Americans, with whom he compiled a .914 SV% in 120 appearances, and he fell behind UPL, Lyon and Colten Ellis on the depth chart.
Ellis' arrival as a waiver claim from the St. Louis Blues last October was the first clear sign the front office didn't see a path forward for Levi and, since he would have been eligible for waivers this season, it left a trade as the only realistic outcome this summer.
Now the undersized (6'0'', 187 pounds) goaltender will finally receive an opportunity to carve out a full-time NHL role with the Oilers. He'll compete with Tristan Jarry for starts while Frederik Andersen recovers from injury.
Devon Levi trade could come back to haunt the Buffalo Sabres
Although the Sabres' decision to move Levi was understandable since they risked losing him for nothing if he was waived at the conclusion of training camp, it's still a deal that created risk.
The 24-year-old Quebec native has succeeded at every stop of his hockey journey. He's overcome the lack of ideal size with agility and a high hockey IQ, and his first 30 NHL appearances resulted in a .901 SV%, a decent mark for a young, developing goalie.
If Buffalo had an unquestioned starting goaltender — the Sabres have given Luukkonen numerous chances to claim that crown over the years and he's yet to do it — giving up Levi for a middle-round draft pick would have been a bit easier to understand.
In this case, however, a strong argument could be made Buffalo's front office, led by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, should have arrived at camp with four goalies and let them all compete for their spot on the depth chart to open the 2026-27 campaign.
It would have at least given Levi, who posted a .946 SV% in 100 preseason minutes for Edmonton, one final chance to win the Sabres executives and coaches over.
In addition, with the benefit of hindsight, the 2020 seventh-round pick could have been an extra trade option if Buffalo did want to make a late push for Hellebuyck. UPL was always viewed as the most likely inclusion in that deal, but he now owns a five-team no-trade list.
Is it possible Levi never develops into more than a fringe NHL goalie? Of course, but his track record suggests he's capable of a long, successful career at the sport's highest level.
The Sabres' goaltending situation may work out just fine in the end. They'll hope Luukkonen and Lyon are only dealing with minor injuries, and/or perhaps the Jets' asking price on Hellebuyck will finally drop down to a more reasonable level as the new season arrives.
Giving up Levi for a dart throw in the draft — research from Jacob Billington of The Hockey Writers shows just 28.2% of third-round selections go on the play at least 100 NHL games — feels like a decision Buffalo may rue in the future, though.
If that's the case, the Sabres' loss will be the Oilers' much-needed gain in the crease.
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