The Buffalo Sabres’ decision to move Devon Levi to the Edmonton Oilers this past summer is looking worse by the week.
Jarmo Kekalainen’s front office had a crowded crease to sort through, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, injured veteran Alex Lyon and younger option Colten Ellis all in the mix. That logjam made the trade easier to understand in the moment. But the return Buffalo got for Levi - a third-round draft pick - is now staring the Sabres in the face every time he turns in another strong outing in Edmonton.
Levi has settled in quickly with the Oilers. He opened the season well, then missed two weeks with an injury, and since returning he has kept rolling, winning two games and posting a save percentage of .913 or better. On a fast, offense-heavy Edmonton team, his season numbers of a .899 save percentage and a 2.75 goals-against average are still enough to make the Oilers happy.
For Buffalo, though, every one of those games adds to the frustration. The argument against Kekalainen is simple: if the Sabres were going to move a young goalie, Levi should not have been the one to go. The trade now looks like a bet on the wrong player, and it’s one that has left Sabres fans shaking their heads.
That doesn’t erase why Levi was available in the first place. His first three NHL seasons never really took off, and in two of them he finished with a save percentage of .899 or worse. His AHL numbers also didn’t inspire much confidence by the end, with a .904 save percentage in a league where that mark would look stronger at the NHL level than it does in the minors.
Still, the age factor makes the deal sting even more. Levi is only 24, and that leaves plenty of room for his game to keep developing. That’s part of what makes the trade so hard to swallow for Buffalo: the Sabres gave up a young goalie with upside and got a third-round pick back in return.
It’s fair to point out that Levi is now working behind Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard, but Buffalo had reason to believe he could keep growing in its own system, too. Instead, the Sabres are left watching him thrive elsewhere while their own goaltending picture has improved only after the fact.
Kekalainen didn’t have a crystal ball, but general managers are judged by the moves they make. This one is already looking like a major miss. Levi is the de facto starter in Edmonton, and as the Oilers keep winning with him in net, Buffalo fans have every reason to be irritated about what they lost.
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Lindy Ruff has acknowledged how difficult the stretch has been for Kulich and pointed to a possible stint with the Rochester Americans as a way to get him more consistent ice time and rebuild his game. For a Sabres team still trying to sort out its forward mix, the question is no longer just when Kulich can play, but where he can best recover the form that made him part of the conversation in the first place. [Read more 🡒]