One trade that flew under the radar this offseason was the Buffalo Sabres moving goalie Devon Levi to the Edmonton Oilers. The return wasn't much as the Sabres also had to send a 2028 seventh-round pick along with Levi for a 2028 third-round pick.
It was a move the Sabres had to make with the goalie situation as it currently stands. They have three goalies on their NHL roster in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis, who did well in the regular season but struggled in the playoffs.
However, with their contract situations there really wasn't any room for Levi to compete for a spot. On top of that, while it didn't get completed, the Sabres were heavily after Connor Hellebuyck as well this summer.
It was a disappointing end to what was such a promising start for Devon Levi. He was expected to be the future at the position after the Sabres traded for him in the Sam Reinhart trade. He raised those expectations with a seven-game stretch to finish the season in Buffalo during the 2022-23 season where he went 5-2.
Unfortunately, after that he wasn't able to be consistent and bounced between the NHL and AHL during the 2023-24 season and 2024-25 season. Eventually, the Sabres decided the best thing for Levi was just staying in the AHL to develop and be ready to make the jump to the NHL full-time when that moment came.
The problem was that the moment was this past season, and the Sabres didn't have any room on the roster, and they were winning. They couldn't jeopardize the success on the ice for the chance to see whether Levi was ready.
In a recent interview with Herb Zurkowsky of The Montreal Gazette, Levi acknowledged that he needed the time in the AHL:
"“I feel like I definitely did need the games in the AHL,” he admitted. “The taste that I got in the NHL showed me. It was a crash course, a study guide on how to succeed in the NHL. I had a lot of time to study and prepare for my next test. I knew what I needed to study for, work on and prepare. I spent a year and a half getting NHL game-ready."
However, when that moment came for him to make a move to the NHL, there wasn't room and that has now given him more motivation, and the Oilers are the ones likely to benefit from that.
"“Being held back really lit the fire inside,” he said. “If I’m going to be one of the best goalies in the league, it’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of time. It doesn’t have to be today. When I was younger, I needed it to be now. I wanted to play in the NHL now. I wanted everything to happen as soon as possible."
Buffalo Sabres are going to need another great season from their goalies or this Devon Levi trade will loom large
This summer, with the way the goalie position is set on the Sabres roster and the pursuit of Hellebuyck, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen had no choice but to trade Levi. There just wasn't a realistic pathway to him getting a spot on the Sabres roster this season unless they moved some of their current goalies and decided Hellebuyck was not an option.
In reality, it would have been a risk to turn to Devon Levi at this point, with him being unproven at the NHL level. The Sabres don't want to take a step backwards after reaching the playoffs and are not in a position as a team to let a player develop and learn on the job.
However, there is certainly a scenario where Levi beats out Frederik Andersen and Tristan Jarry to be the starter on an Oilers team that still has Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard, that makes the playoffs and goes deep in the Western Conference.
As for the Sabres, they got great performances in the regular season from their group, but they also struggled in the playoffs. If that carries over while Levi excels in Edmonton, it will be a bad look for the front office and arguably their first major misstep.
Only time will tell how this all plays out but based on some of the comments by Levi, the Edmonton Oilers are about to get the best version of Devon Levi and that is good news for them.
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