Has Stan Bowman found the goalie of the future? He just may have. After a quiet first couple of hours of free agency, a trade was announced between the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres. Edmonton will be receiving goaltender Devon Levi and a seventh round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
Levi, 24, was a seventh-round draft pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2020 NHL Draft. He was traded to the Buffalo Sabres the next summer in deal that sent Sam Reinhart to the Panthers. Since then, Levi has spent two years playing with Northeastern University in the NCAA. In 2021–22, he won the Mike Richter Award as the top collegiate goalie in Division 1 of the NCAA.
After turning pro in 2023, Levi played in seven games at the end of the 2022–23 NHL season. He has since split time between the Sabres and the Rochester Americans of the AHL.
Levi has been a target of the Oilers for most of the last season as it became clear he was the odd-goalie out in Buffalo.
What did the Oilers get in Devon Levi?
Devon Levi will immediately be in the mix for the starting goalie position with the Oilers. Tristan Jarry was relegated to the back-up role by the end of last season and is not a shoe-in to retake the starter’s crease in the fall. Although Levi is relatively inexperienced at the NHL level, he has put up respectable numbers so far while appearing for struggling Sabres teams between 2023 and 2025.
Levi has been priming and developing for an NHL opportunity for years, never quite able to stick around long-term as he was blocked in the Sabres’ organization by multiple other goalies. His AHL numbers are stellar. A 64-39-17 record with a 2.52 goals against average and .914 save percentage. He has earned praise for his underlying numbers in the AHL as well, according to Bob Stauffer.
What to expect from Devon Levi next season?
This will be a make-or-break season for Levi as he has a clear path to a big opportunity in the NHL. The Oilers do not have the goaltending depth to block him, and Levi could very easily be the starting goalie on opening night with a good training camp and pre-season.
The likely arrangement will be a split between Jarry and Levi with a focus on playing who is hot at the moment. Jarry, after being acquired by the Oilers back in December, did not perform strong enough regularly to solidify a clear role as the starter, which allowed Connor Ingram to take over as the hotter goalie down the stretch and into the playoffs. We can expect a similar situation this season between Jarry and Levi.
