The 24-year-old played 52 games for AHL Rochester last season.
Buffalo Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen indicated in his end-of-season remarks that he was satisfied with how the three goaltender scenario with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis played out last season, and if you take his remarks at face value, it is possible that the club will bring back the same trio next season, but conspicuous from being mentioned in the potential competition for a spot was former prized prospect Devon Levi.
The 24-year-old was a Florida Panthers draft pick in 2020 and was part of the Sam Reinhart deal in 2021. After winning consecutive Mike Richter Awards at Northeastern for being the best goaltender in the NCAA, the Sabres signed Levi to an entry-level deal and the youngster impressed late in the 2022-23 regular season when Buffalo came within a point of snapping their playoff drought. The following year, it appeared that Levi was handed the starting job out of training camp, but after losing three of his first four starts, former head coach Don Granato when back to a goalie rotation.
In January 2024, Levi was demoted to AHL Rochester, where he has played 120 games over the last three seasons, and only nine games for the Sabres. After being demoted to the Amerks after training camp, any chance of seeing NHL action last season was eliminated when Buffalo claimed Colten Ellis off of waivers from the St. Louis Blues in early October.
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"He's a talented goalie, he's played some great hockey at the American League level, and he's played some games in the NHL. Probably the toughest position of any positions on a hockey team is to get the responsibility to be a goalie that coaches rely upon on a regular basis, and I think almost every goalie in the league has gone through the process of when they need to develop and play games, they have to play in the minors, because it's the most demanding position. " GM Jarmo Kekalainen said last week.
"You don't get better by sitting on the bench, so till the time that they don't need waivers, and they can play games in the minors. Almost every goalie, even the superstar goalies in the league, (have) gone through that process. There's very few that step right into the NHL without playing in the minors over the history of the league. He's just getting through that process now, and next year he'll need waivers, so it's another part of that process, and we see how he keeps developing, and I think he's an NHL-caliber talent that has a potential to be a good goalie in this league for a long time."
One of the major mistakes of the Kevyn Adams era was to insert a 21-year-old fresh out of college into the NHL and assume that he could make that jump successfully. Levi’s numbers have declined over his time with Rochester, with his save percentage dropping from .927 in 2024, to .919 in 2025 to .904 last season. The youngster is entering the final year of a two-year bridge deal making $812,500, and with a number of clubs looking for tandem and backup goalies, it is likely that Kekalainen could get a decent return for Levi in a trade this summer.
Buffalo is not under the gun at this point, but if they do not make a move involving one or more of their goaltenders before the end of training camp, they risk losing an Ellis or Levi on waivers if they decide try to sneak one down to the AHL. Levi has not expressed any trade requests as this point, but it would be understandable if he was looking for a fresh start with another organization.
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