The Buffalo Sabres made an initial wave of additions — Sam Carrick, Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley — ahead of the Friday's NHL trade deadline but it sounds like general manager Jarmo Kekalainen isn't done wheeling and dealing.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported the Sabres are "shopping" goalie Devon Levi, one of the team's most prized prospects since he was acquired in the 2021 blockbuster trade that sent Sam Reinhart to the Florida Panthers.
After an impressive first stint in the NHL in 2023, Levi struggled over the past two years, which led Buffalo to sign Alex Lyon and claim Colten Ellis off waivers to provide depth behind starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Levi has compiled a 3.29 goals against average and .894 save percentage over 39 NHL appearances. He's been far more successful with the AHL's Rochester Americans, though. He's posted a 2.44 GAA and .917 SV% in 106 games across three years with the Amerks.
The 24-year-old netminder won the Mike Richter Award as college hockey's best goalie twice during his time at Northeastern University, where he recorded a .942 SV% in 66 contests for the Huskies.
Buffalo Sabres may take the first step toward clearing their goaltending logjam by moving Devon Levi at the 2026 NHL trade deadline
The Sabres' entire outlook between the pipes has changed over the past couple months.
In early December, it looked like Buffalo's best option was trying to find a taker for the remainder of Luukkonen's five-year contract so it could move forward with Lyon as the short-term starter followed by Ellis and Levi handling the net over the long haul.
Then the Sabres transformed into the league's hottest team. They've gone 26-5-2 over their past 33 games since a Dec. 9 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, and goaltending has been perhaps the biggest driving force behind that unexpected success.
UPL (.926 SV% in 14 games) and Lyon (.926 SV% in 15 games) have both been nothing short of fantastic during the hot streak, while Ellis (.903 SV% in six games) was solid when called up but will remain the odd goalie out barring more injuries.
The arrival of Lyon and Ellis was aimed at giving Levi an entire season in Rochester without having to interrupt his development for every injury that arose.
While in that sense it's been successful, Buffalo's success with its three current options in the crease has seemingly made the 24-year-old prospect expendable.
The Blue and Gold have already covered most of the necessary depth acquisitions with Carrick, Schenn and Stanley, but they could still use an offensive-minded top-six forward before the deadline.
Kekalainen would ideally like to land that type of player without making any major changes to the current NHL roster, which means Buffalo would probably have to part with something from the group of top prospects like Levi, Konsta Helenius and Radim Mrtka or its 2026 first-round draft pick.
Levi is a bit undersized (6'0'', 192 pounds) but his strong prospect pedigree, based on his success in college and the AHL, and impressive work ethic gives him a real chance to eventually emerge as a true No. 1 goaltender in the NHL.
There may no longer be a path for that to happen with the Sabres given UPL's turnaround, Lyon's success and Ellis making a big to jump him on the long-term depth chart, though.
As a result, Levi may instead become a valuable trade chip for Kekalainen either before Friday's deadline or over the summer.