Devon Levi is getting another crack at proving the hype was real, only this time the stage is Edmonton.
The former Sabres prospect, once viewed as Buffalo’s goalie of the future after his quick leap from Northeastern University to the NHL in 2023, now finds himself in a fresh situation with the Oilers after the Sabres dealt him in July. And with Frederik Andersen sidelined by injury, Levi is expected to battle Tristan Jarry for playing time in Edmonton.
That setup is exactly why Jesse Granger of The Athletic put Levi on his list of breakout candidates in net for 2026-27.
"His game was trending in the wrong direction in Buffalo, but a new team with championship aspirations could be just what this fiery young goalie needs to get back on track," Granger wrote Tuesday. "Levi is a strong skater who sometimes lacks consistency in his game, but if things go right for him, he could take the biggest leap of anyone on this list."
Levi’s early NHL stretch gave Buffalo plenty of reason to believe. In seven games during the 2022-23 run, he posted a .905 save percentage. But the next two seasons were less convincing, with an .892 SV% across 32 appearances, and he didn’t get into a game for the Sabres last season.
At 24, the Canadian goalie is still trying to turn promise into permanence. He measured 6-foot-0 and 192 pounds, and his frame has long been part of the conversation around him in a league that usually leans toward bigger goaltenders. Still, when Levi is sharp, he can erase some of those concerns with his skating, quickness and hockey sense.
His track record in the AHL shows both the upside and the inconsistency. Over three years with the Rochester Americans, he put up a .914 SV% in 120 games. That mark was .927 in his first season with Rochester, then slid to .904 last year.
The opening in Edmonton is real, especially with Jarry coming off a rough run after his own trade to the Oilers last season. He finished with an .857 SV% in 19 games, which leaves the door wide open for Levi if he has a strong camp and preseason.
Buffalo’s decision to move him also tied back to roster math. Levi would have needed to clear waivers to go back to Rochester this season, and that was a risky bet for the Sabres given his pedigree. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis already on the active roster, Buffalo chose not to let him walk away for nothing.
That trade, though, leaves the Sabres’ goaltending pipeline looking thin.
Scott Ratzlaff and Topias Leinonen have not stood out since reaching North American pro hockey, though it remains early. Samuel Meloche, a 2025 fourth-round pick, is still several years from being a finished product. Yevgeni Prokhorov may have the most upside after a .925 SV% in 29 games in Russia’s MHL, but his NHL outlook is tough to gauge until he gets to the KHL.
Buffalo had only five picks in the 2026 draft and didn’t use any of them on goaltenders, so there wasn’t any fresh help added to the mix.
That uncertainty is part of why there was so much talk over the past couple months about a possible blockbuster move for Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck, though nothing came together before camp was set to open.
For now, Buffalo looks ready to roll with UPL, Lyon and Ellis in 2026-27. The group had success in the regular season last year, but the playoffs exposed the inconsistency from UPL and Lyon and did the upstart club no favors.
In Other News...
Sabres Prospect Weekend Revealed A Bigger Concern Than The Scores
The on-ice results at Harborcenter were lopsided enough, with Bostons prospects taking both games in the scaled-down showcase, but the bigger takeaway for Buffalo was what the weekend said about the pipeline. The event itself has been pared back from the sprawling prospect gatherings of past years, and the Sabres are now at a stage where many of their highest-end young players have already moved on to the NHL or college ranks.
What remained was a forward group built mostly from undrafted players and late-round picks, a reminder that the organization is leaning more on depth development than star power at this point. Buffalo still had names worth tracking and the setting still offered a useful first look, but the gap in upside was hard to miss and it left the club with a familiar question hanging over the rest of its prospect pool. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Just Added Two Rochester Names Worth Watching Closely
The Rochester Americans are already planting a few seeds for the future, adding forward Thomas Bordeleau and goaltender Talyn Boyko on one-year AHL contracts for the 2026-27 season. For a Sabres organization that leans on Rochester as its development pipeline, these kinds of signings are the sort worth filing away now, especially when the players involved come with different paths but clear pro experience.
Bordeleau brings a more established track record, arriving as a former second-round Sharks pick with NHL and AHL scoring on his resume. Boyko is much further along the developmental curve, having spent most of his time in the ECHL and logging only 10 career AHL games, so his fit in Rochester will be one to watch as the Amerks continue shaping their roster depth. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Have A Roster Squeeze That Could Reshape Their Top Six
The Sabres are starting to run into the kind of good problem that can force a front office to make hard choices. With Josh Doan, Zach Benson and Noah Ostlund all under contract, Buffalo has plenty of young forwards in the mix, and that depth is pushing the conversation beyond just making the roster. It is also forcing the staff to decide how best to use its biggest pieces, especially when the lineup has enough promising talent to make the top six look crowded.
One of the biggest questions centers on Tage Thompson and where he fits best long term. The Sabres have reasons to look at him in more than one spot, and his role could influence how the rest of the forward group settles in. Buffalo also remains active on the goaltending market, with reported talks involving Connor Hellebuyck and no deal in place yet, which adds another layer to a roster picture that already feels like it could shift in more than one direction. [Read more 🡒]