Will we see Devon Levi in a Sabres uniform more often in 2024-25?
Devon Levi ultimately became one of the part-timers in 2023-24, so will that change for 2024-25 with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returning and James Reimer joining?
A while back, I wrote a piece talking about how many Sabres prospects in 2023-24 will be full-timers in 2024-25. Two of them jumped out, and really, given the significant time they spent in Buffalo last season, you may not personally even call them prospects: Ryan Johnson and Devon Levi.
We won’t be surprised if Ryan Johnson’s with the big club to kick off the new season, thanks to his stellar play last year. The real question, however, is whether he’s a good fit for head coach Lindy Ruff’s system, something we’ll find the answer to within the next two months.
Meanwhile, Devon Levi will also face some competition against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, James Reimer, and Felix Sandstrom for a spot on the Sabres. To be real, nobody is expecting Sandstrom to play in any NHL games, and if he’s in the crease, it means the injury bug bit the Sabres goaltenders.
We can also expect Luukkonen, who signed a rather respectable extension, to factor in as the starter all season unless he becomes one of those one-year wonders. And Ukko, I’m speaking to you personally - Don’t be one of those players: This fan base has suffered enough over the last 13 years.
It will come down to Devon Levi and James Reimer for at least the No. 2 spot
For starters, let’s not take my “at least the No. 2 spot” too literally. By No. 2, I’m simply distinguishing that from the 1B role, meaning the former won’t play much more than 30 games if that, while the latter will see more than their fair share of action.
My initial reaction states that there’s a good chance Levi will be in Buffalo for most, if not all, of 2024-25, especially if James Reimer plays the Craig Anderson role. But after thinking it through, what was the Craig Anderson role, exactly? In 2022-23, Anderson averaged one game per week, meaning he saw time in 26 contests and started 24 of them.
Fast-forward to last season, and Luukkonen played in 54 games, starting 52 of them. Looking at these numbers, logic states Levi will only see more time in Buffalo this season if he’s a revelation in camp and in the preseason, the Sabres go with three goaltenders, and he remains a revelation, basically to the point he secures the 1B role.
That said, I’ll backtrack on what I was saying about Levi, or really, the little quip I made about him in passing that “no one in the Sabres fan base will be surprised if they (Levi and Johnson) opened the season in the lineup,” and project we won’t see much of Levi in a Sabres uniform this year.
Now, this is assuming James Reimer is a step up from Eric Comrie, and if that isn’t the case, and if Levi is playing well in Rochester, we will see him with the Blue and Gold.
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