The Oilers took a serious swing at Devon Levi, but the goaltending search in Edmonton is still wide open.
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the club dug into the Buffalo Sabres netminder over the weekend before those discussions fizzled out. On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman said Buffalo had made Levi available to multiple teams and Edmonton was one of the clubs that checked him out closely. “I heard a team that did some real research into him was Edmonton,” Friedman said, “but obviously that didn’t happen.”
What derailed the talks remains unclear. It’s not known whether Edmonton and Buffalo couldn’t line up on a return package, whether the Sabres’ asking price was too steep for Bowman, or whether something else caused the deal to stall.
Levi, 23, has shown enough to make teams look, but not enough yet to lock down a full-time NHL starter role. He didn’t appear in the NHL during the 2025-26 season and played only nine games the year before, which makes him a tough fit for a team that needs a more certain answer in net.
Buffalo has been shopping Levi ahead of the July 1 free agency deadline, and Edmonton’s interest was part of that process. For the Oilers, though, it’s back to the drawing board.
They still need a goaltending solution for 2026-27, and the market is expected to get busy quickly. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli said the week should bring more movement, with Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, Sam Montembeault and Jacob Markstrom among the goalies available before the deadline.
Levi was one possible target. He’s no longer the one Edmonton is pursuing.
In Other News...
Oilers May Have A Surprising Path To A Darnell Nurse Trade
With free agency approaching, the Oilers are still working through a potential Darnell Nurse trade, and the market around the veteran defenseman has already taken on an unexpected shape. Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Boston are among the clubs believed to be in the mix, giving Edmonton multiple avenues to explore as it tries to move a significant contract off the books and reshape its blue line.
The twist is that not every possible landing spot comes with the same kind of financial baggage, and that has made the process more complicated than a simple list of suitors. Nurse also has not agreed to widen his trade list to Anaheim, even as the Ducks remain part of the conversation around Edmonton, leaving one of the more intriguing possibilities unresolved as the Oilers try to find the right fit before the market opens. [Read more 🡒]
Stan Bowman's Worst Oilers Moves Are Already Hard To Ignore
Stan Bowmans first few major roster swings in Edmonton are already drawing second-guessing, and it is not hard to see why. The Oilers added Trent Frederic, Tristan Jarry and Andrew Mangiapane in moves meant to firm up different parts of the lineup, but the early returns have been uneven enough that each decision is now part of the same larger review as the offseason approaches.
Frederic, in particular, stands out because of the commitment attached to him after he was brought in at the 2025 trade deadline, and his production has not matched that level of faith. Jarrys arrival was supposed to change the look of the crease, but his stint has been complicated, while Mangiapane was another bet on offense that quickly lost steam. For a team trying to keep pace with championship expectations, the concern is less about any single move than the pattern forming around Bowmans early choices. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Just Made An Unusual Camp Move Fans Will Debate
The Oilers are doing something you almost never see at an NHL development camp, bringing in three female hockey players for an opportunity usually reserved for prospects in the mens game. It is a notable wrinkle for Edmonton, which announced the invites in a press release and is set to give Abbey Murphy, Caitlin Kraemer and Chloe Primerano a chance to work alongside the organizations young players.
Beyond the novelty, the move stands out because it opens a different kind of conversation about where elite womens hockey talent can fit into NHL development environments. Murphy, Kraemer and Primerano each arrive with a strong rsum from the womens game, and for the Oilers, the setup adds an unusual layer of interest to a camp that will already be closely watched for how players handle the jump in pace and expectation. [Read more 🡒]