Devon Levi has given the Oilers exactly the kind of start in net they’ve been chasing for years. Through seven games this season, he’s put together a 6-1-0 record and, just as important, he’s made the big stops that settle everyone down when a play breaks open in front of him.
What stands out first is how he looks in the crease. Levi’s quickness jumps off the page, especially the glove hand, and that style draws comparisons to some of the best goaltenders ever to wear Oilers colours: Grant Fuhr, Andy Moog, Bill Ranford, and Curtis Joseph. Like those netminders, he’s operating behind an offence built to push the pace, and when the defensive game slips, he’s been the one cleaning it up.
That kind of save has been missing in Edmonton for a long time. In the Connor McDavid era, the scoring has usually grabbed the spotlight, while the defensive side of the puck has been a different story.
Now, with head coach Mike Babcock and associate coach D.J. Smith behind the bench, the Oilers have been better in their own zone.
But even with that improvement, the team still needs someone who can erase mistakes when the structure breaks down. Levi has done that repeatedly.
There’s also a familiar career arc taking shape here. Levi, much like Calgary Flames great Miikka Kiprusoff, arrived after being pushed down the depth chart and treated as expendable.
Kiprusoff got his fresh start when Daryl Sutter traded for him from the San Jose Sharks in November of 2003. Levi’s path to Edmonton has that same feel, only this time it’s the Oilers who may have landed the difference-maker.
He came out of the Buffalo Sabres organization without ever getting a real chance, and now he’s looking settled in Edmonton. That’s why the July 1, 2026 trade may end up becoming one the Sabres regret: Levi and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Oilers for a third round pick in 2028.
The buzz around him isn’t limited to Edmonton, either. On the Oct. 22 edition of the Neilson Show on Edmonton Sports Talk, former NHL goalie Jamie McLennan pointed to the thing that separates Levi from the goalies Edmonton has run with before.
“The one thing that really impresses me is his lateral movement…You know, we haven’t seen a goaltender with that type of flexibility and lateral movement (in Edmonton). They’ve had bigger, more kind of blocky goaltenders that were, you know, aren’t weren’t as athletic.
He (Levi) is an athletic goaltender…He’s not 6-foot-6, but the one thing that I’ve noticed is his game… He’s got explosive side to side, explosive feet.”
For Levi, that athletic style has been shaped by some elite company. The 24-year-old from Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec has looked up to Carey Price, Fuhr, and Roberto Luongo.
Back in a 2017 interview with Kathryn Greenaway of the Montreal Gazette, Levi said of Price, “I try to base my game on his calm style. He’s always in front of the puck and always in control.”
That influence has shown up in the details. After landing in Edmonton, Levi designed his new mask as a tribute to Fuhr, after the two spent an hour and a half talking hockey history at an American Hockey League All-Star event. Luongo’s impact has been there too: when Levi was drafted into the NHL by the Florida Panthers, Luongo pushed for him, and Levi has said Luongo was a major childhood inspiration.
It’s still early, and nobody in Edmonton is pretending otherwise. But the early signs are hard to ignore. The Oilers may finally have found the goalie they’ve been waiting for, and if Levi keeps tracking this way, the net could stop being a question and start being a strength.
In Other News...
Oilers Suddenly Have Questions Their Record Was Hiding
The Oilers early record had bought them plenty of breathing room, but the 7-2 loss to the Maple Leafs in Toronto was a reminder that the standings can hide as much as they reveal. Edmonton fell to 8-2-1 and suffered only its second regulation loss of the season, even with Leon Draisaitl scoring twice to keep the offense from going completely quiet.
What stood out more than the score was how exposed Edmonton looked in its own zone and in a few line combinations that never seemed to settle the game. Former Oilers Jack Roslovic and Troy Stecher were part of the damage, and the rough night in goal only added to the unease, leaving the kind of follow-up questions that tend to linger after a teams first real blowout loss. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Blue Line Just Lost A Key Piece At The Worst Time
The Oilers are dealing with a tough break on the back end at a time when every defensive minute matters. Mattias Ekholm is sidelined with a concussion, leaving Edmonton without one of the stabilizing pieces that usually helps set the tone in its own zone and transition the puck cleanly up ice.
That absence is especially noticeable because Ekholm typically works alongside Evan Bouchard, a pairing that has helped drive strong possession for the Oilers this season. With Calgarys Mikael Backlund nearing a return and other Western Conference injury updates starting to shift, Edmontons own blue line suddenly has a much more urgent question hanging over it. [Read more 🡒]
Jack Roslovic Returns To Edmonton With Oilers Fans Watching One Thing
Jack Roslovics early run with the Toronto Maple Leafs has given him a little more visibility than usual, and it has also put his old NHL stops back in the spotlight. Since signing a two-year deal with Toronto, Roslovic has picked up four goals and 10 points in his first 10 games, including a goal and three points against the Columbus Blue Jackets and an assist against the New York Rangers, two of the teams he has already faced from his previous stops around the league.
For Edmonton fans, the more interesting part is seeing Roslovic look back on his time with the Oilers while sizing up the next chapter of his career. He has already spent time with Columbus, New York and Edmonton, and he had plenty of praise for captain Connor McDavids skill and work ethic. What stands out now is how Roslovic views the lessons he took from those stops, and what his return to Edmonton might mean when the attention turns back to the building he knows well. [Read more 🡒]