Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – After Devon Levi finished up his second season at Northeastern University in March, he signed his entry-level contract to join the Buffalo Sabres.
At that time, Buffalo was still in the playoff hunt, and Levi got thrown right into the fray.
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In his seven NHL games at the end of the season, Levi went 5-2-0 for the Sabres with a .905 save percentage. He gave up just two goals in four of his seven starts, and three or fewer goals in five games.
Levi says he wasn’t intimidated by the NHL during his short stint in Buffalo.
"It was probably one of the best times of my life," said Levi during his end-of-season press conference last month. "When I was here, I wasn’t looking at it like that. Obviously I knew how special it was, but I had a job to do. Looking back at the experience, it’s pretty surreal that this happened so fast, and that they just gave me the opportunity to play. I’m so grateful to have been given that opportunity, and I got such good experience in so little time."
Now, of course, general manager Kevyn Adams and head coach Don Granato aren’t going to say the guy in goal with seven NHL games is their starting goalie next season. Granato says nobody is in net right now, and they’ll sort that out in training camp next season.
In my mind, actions speak louder than words. The fact Granato put Levi in such pressure-packed games as they fought for a playoff spot told us everything we need to know. I think their actions have told us Levi is the man starting next season.
Owen Power got eight games in when he left the University of Michigan in 2022. That experience helped Power realize what he needed to work on for the next season.
Levi knows he is in the exact same spot heading into the 2023-24 season.
“There’s so many lessons to be learned, and playing against the best guys, you find out pretty quickly what you’ve got to work on. It’s as much physical as it is mental,” Levi said.
The 21-year-old has yet to go through the grind of a full NHL season, so he went and talked at length to veteran Craig Anderson to see how he did it throughout his career. Levi has already planned a trip to see Anderson in Florida this summer to find out more from the now retired goalie.
I don’t think Levi had any doubt he could jump right into the NHL. Now that he’s played some game action, he’s been able to confirm that.
“It’s good to know I can play in this league, and it’s a great foundation moving forward,” he said. “I go into the summer excited to learn and grow, and come in better next year.”
If you talk to scouts around the league, almost all of them think the Sabres have a bright future with the young players they have. Some, but not all think the Sabres have to change the way they play, but they made a major leap in wins and points this year.
Levi is already really Impressed with the young team around him.
“It’s unbelievable the talent in this locker room,” he said. “Just the skill and the intelligence that some of the guys possess.”
Levi went back to school to finish up his classes, and will play for Canada starting May 12 at the World Championship held this year in Latvia and Finland.
The Sabres came up two points short for the playoffs this season. Had Buffalo beaten the Florida Panthers on April 4 instead of losing 2-1, it would’ve been the Sabres playing the Boston Bruins in the first round instead. That would have left the Panthers on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
“We had it and it just slipped,” Levi said. “Not all bad things are bad. I think that could really be fostered for motivation for the whole group, because we were close and we felt it. We know we can get there again, so holding onto that and remembering that feeling, I’ll be thinking about that in my summer training, for sure.”
We still haven’t heard yet if Power or Peyton Krebs will be joining Levi with Team Canada later this month. Last year, Dylan Cozens was a big part of the Canadian team, but declined this year’s invitation due to some injuries needing to heal.
