The Buffalo Sabres missed out on making a big splash as Connor Hellebuyck was traded to the New Jersey Devils. It was seemingly a big loss for this team as they have had plenty of struggles at the position to begin the season.
Another storyline at the position in the early part of the season has been the success of Devon Levi with the Edmonton Oilers. The Sabres traded him in the offseason, and he is off to a 6-1 start but taking a closer look at the numbers, his record could be misleading. In fact, he is playing closer to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen than some might believe.
Levi, who came over to the Sabres as part of the Sam Reinhart trade, was expected to be the goalie of the future. He got off to an incredible start, making the jump from Northeastern to the NHL in 2022-23, going 5-2 with a save percentage of .904 and a goals against average of 2.94.
However, Levi struggled to hold onto a permanent spot on the roster with a save percentage under .900 and a goals against average over three in his next 29 starts over two seasons. This past season, he spent the entire time in Rochester, and while he played well, the Sabres didn't have a spot for him this season and moved him.
With him set to be a restricted free agent after this season, the Sabres felt now was the time to move him and found a trade partner in the Edmonton Oilers, who have had their own struggles at the position over the years.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi are playing at the same level with only one major difference
Levi is currently tied for second in the league in wins, but that is more due to the support he gets from the skaters in front of him, including one player who is off to a historic start. In the seven starts Levi has made this season, the Oilers are averaging 4.57 goals per game, with five games getting four or more goals in support. Meanwhile, Luukkonen is only getting about 2.74 goals per game from the Sabres, and the Sabres have only scored four or more in two games.
What is notable is that both players have faced almost the same number of shots, with Luukkonen at 198 and Levi at 194. The Oilers goalie has allowed only five fewer goals and has a slightly better save percentage of .887, compared to Luukkonen's .864.
The difference for Levi is that he has Connor McDavid on his side, making his life a little easier. McDavid has 31 points through the first 10 games and broke the franchise record set by Wayne Gretzky during the 1984-85 season. Levi certainly doesn't feel the pressure that Luukkonen does of essentially having to be perfect to get the win.
Now this is not defending Luukkonen's performance through the first part of the season. There is no question it hasn't been good enough. However, the idea that if the Sabres had Levi in net instead of Luukkonen that they would be in better position, just isn't the reality of the situation.
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