The Buffalo Sabres were heavily linked to a possible trade for Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, but one of the club's own netminders was also generating interest.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported Monday on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Edmonton Oilers were looking into a possible deal for Sabres goalie prospect Devon Levi.
"I heard Buffalo had Devon Levi out there quite a bit on the weekend," Friedman said. "And I heard one team that did some real research into him was Edmonton, but obviously that [trade] didn't happen. Look, if they get a Hellebuyck deal done, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is clearly going to other way, but I don't know what Levi's future is going to be in Buffalo. So, that'll be an interesting one to watch."
The Oilers only have one NHL goalie currently under contract for next season: Tristan Jarry.
Levi made an immediate jump to the Sabres in 2023 after a standout college career at Northeastern University, where he won the Mike Richter Award twice.
The 24-year-old Canadian held his own in Buffalo initially, posting a .905 save percentage in seven games during the stretch run of the 2022-23 season. He compiled a lackluster .892 SV% across 32 appearances over the next two years, though.
He's spent most of his time with the AHL's Rochester Americans for the past three campaigns. He's played well — .914 SV% in 120 regular-season games and a .917 SV% in 16 playoff contests — but he's been unable to climb the Sabres' organizational depth chart.
Buffalo has UPL, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis under contract for next season. As Friedman alluded, even if Luukkonen is moved, it'll likely be in a trade for another goalie. In addition, Levi would have to clear waivers to make an AHL return next season.
So, all signs point to the 2020 seventh-round pick of the Florida Panthers, who arrived to Western New York in the Sam Reinhart trade one year later, finding a new home before next season.
Buffalo Sabres are running out of time to get value for Devon Levi, who's ready for an NHL opportunity
Although there's no official "deadline" to trade Levi, the Sabres know there's essentially zero chance he'll clear waivers because of his prospect pedigree and AHL success.
In addition, more teams around the NHL may carry a trio of goaltenders next season because of the changing rules around emergency backup goalies (EBUG). Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen already confirmed the team is planning to continue its three-goalie rotation as a result.
Levi probably doesn't have much interest in a fourth season with the Amerks, either. He's 24 and, even with the typically slower development paths of netminders, it's time for him to make the NHL jump on a full-time basis, even if it's in a backup role.
Put all of those factors together and now's the time for Kekalainen to act. As the calendar moves closer to the new campaign, other teams will know the Sabres have less leverage, which would decrease what'll already be a modest return package.
The Oilers would be a nice landing spot for Levi.
Edmonton ranked 29th in team save percentage in 2025-26 (.883) and Jarry, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in December, failed to fix the problem with an .857 SV% in 19 games.
It's no guarantee Jarry will return next season, though finding a taker in a trade will prove difficult, and even if he does, the starting job is up for grabs as things stand.
The Oilers may target a high-profile goalie, whether it be a Hellebuyck, Jordan Binnington or Sergei Bobrovsky, but there are several teams looking to upgrade between the pipes, so there will be competition in the market for those notable names (including maybe from Buffalo).
So, Levi could land in a situation where he'd arrive to Edmonton training camp with an opportunity to win the starting job. If the club did bring in a marquee netminder, he'd have the chance to win the backup role, which would still represent 20-plus starts.
The knock against the Sabres prospect has always been size (6'0'', 192 pounds), and there are some front offices that won't even consider a goalie that small in the modern NHL, but he's posted strong numbers at every stop of his development journey.
A team like the Oilers, which has struggled to find an answer in the crease while hunting a Stanley Cup in recent years, could do far worse than giving Levi the opportunity he's been waiting for. It'd be a low-risk, high-upside move.
Edmonton would probably only have to give up a middle-round draft pick or a similarly stuck young player for a highly touted prospect who's only scheduled to make a little over $800,000 next season. He's also still three years away from unrestricted free agency.
That's a bet the Oilers should be willing to make, though teams may try to wait Buffalo out to see if the return package gets even cheaper as the 2026-27 season draws closer.
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