Sabres send goalie Devon Levi to Oilers

Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres have traded goalie Devon Levi and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2028 third-round pick.

Buffalo acquired Levi and a 2022 first-round pick (Jiri Kulich) from the Florida Panthers back in July 2021 in exchange for forward Sam Reinhart.

Former Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams butchered the development of Levi from the start. After two record-setting years at Northeastern University, the only way Levi would sign with the Sabres in April of 2023 was if he played in games immediately. Levi played in seven late-season games, going 5-2-0 with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. That was the best he ever played in the NHL.

After that, Adams handed the No. 1 job to Levi twice and he failed miserably. No goaltender had ever gone from college hockey straight to the NHL, and Levi struggled mightily.

During the 2023-24 season, Levi went 10-8-2 with a 3.10 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage. Adams finally sent him down to the Rochester Americans, where he played 31 games, including playoffs.

Even though Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the clear No. 1 goalie the following season, Adams put Levi on the team again, and he and Luukkonen alternated starts. Once again, Levi wasn't even close to being up for it and failed as an NHL starting goaltender, going 2-7-0 with a 4.12 goals-against average and an .872 save percentage.

Adams finally seemed to learn his lesson, as Levi went back to Rochester for proper development.

Any chance Adams had in keeping Levi ended last October when he claimed Colten Ellis off of waivers from the St. Louis Blues. That told Levi he wasn't even the Sabres' No. 3 goalie and he's not in their future plans.

Many scouts feel Levi is not an NHL goalie, and was never going to be an NHL goalie here.

We'll see what happens from here, as he now heads to the Oilers.