The Buffalo Sabres shipped goaltender Devon Levi to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, along with a 2028 seventh-round pick, in exchange for a 2028 third-round pick. The move clears a little salary and frees up a roster spot, but it also signals something bigger: Buffalo is likely not done in net.
Levi, 22, was taken 212th overall by the Florida Panthers in 2020 but never played for them. He arrived in Buffalo as part of the Sam Reinhart trade in 2021. After a promising college career at Northeastern, he joined the Sabres late in the 2022-23 season and looked like a potential long-term answer in goal. That hasn’t really panned out.
At the NHL level, Levi is 17-17-2 with a 3.29 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage across 39 games. He’s spent most of the last two seasons in the AHL with the Rochester Americans, where he’s played 94 games. This past year he went 23-20-9 with a 2.83 GAA and .904 save percentage. Solid numbers for the minors, but not enough to force his way into a crowded Sabres net.
What This Means for Buffalo
The Sabres now have Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and James Reimer under contract for next season. Luukkonen has emerged as the clear starter, but Reimer is 36 and more of a placeholder. That leaves room for a real upgrade. And the timing is interesting.
Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is widely expected to be available leading up to or during free agency. He’s a former Vezina winner, still in his prime, and would instantly turn Buffalo’s goaltending from a question mark into a strength. The Sabres now have the cap flexibility and the asset to make a run at him. According to multiple league sources, they’re expected to be aggressive in that pursuit.
What Edmonton Gets
The Oilers have Tristan Jarry on the roster and Connor Ingram is an unrestricted free agent. So Levi walks into a situation where he could compete for a backup role or even push for starts depending on how training camp shakes out. He’s young, cheap, and still has upside. For a third-round pick three years from now, that’s a low-risk bet for Edmonton.
Levi was once viewed as a potential steal of the draft class. The Oilers are betting a change of scenery might unlock that again. The Sabres, meanwhile, are betting on bigger things.
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