Levi Continues To Earn His Place In Edmonton, Andersen Fights For Relevance

When Frederik Andersen was injured a few months ago, I wrote that Devon Levi had an opportunity to show the Edmonton Oilers what he could do.

Nine games later, Levi is 8-1, and it's fair to say he's done just that.

The 24-year-old spent much of his time in Buffalo buried in the Sabres' depth chart, playing in the American Hockey League while the organization seemed to have lost interest in what was once one of its better goaltending prospects.

Now he's playing regularly for one of the NHL's best teams, and at this point in the season, Levi is Edmonton's No. 1 goaltender.

Andersen, who was brought in to be the No. 1, hasn't played a game this season. He's still recovering from an injury—the same injury it feels he's dealt with his whole career— and the longer he waits to come back, the more he has to fight for relevance within this team.

“I knew there was a good chance of getting traded. So on July 1, I had my phone in hand,” Levi said. “My agents had a few conversations with them (Buffalo). So we knew that one guy was moving. When I heard it was Edmonton, I was pumped. Like, I was so happy.”

It's worked out pretty well for him.

Levi came to Edmonton with perhaps the first opportunity of his entire career to prove he could be an NHL goaltender, and the Oilers gave him a chance even after he allowed seven goals in his first game.

Mike Babcock went right back to him, which he didn't have to do, but it certainly proved to be the right choice.

“The faith that the coaching staff has in me, and you know Pete, our goalie coach, has been so positive,” Levi said. “So it helps a lot, for sure, knowing that they want to play me and that they've got my back.

“Even from game one, I let in seven in that first game, and they went with me the next game. So they gave me some leash, and I didn't want to let them down, so I tried to run with it.”

Levi has since won eight of his nine starts, including a win over Vancouver after missing seven games with a groin injury and a bit of a clumsy team in front of him.

“That's why I'm here, right? The last line of defence,” Levi chirped. “I kind of embrace that. I love it. If we played a perfect game, we wouldn't need a goalie. And they’ve got my back when I need them to—which isn’t much. We usually play really good.”

The Oilers have been playing some good defensive hockey under Babcock, and Levi has been quick to give his teammates credit for their work in front of him.

“We locked that down in the third period (with) some huge plays from the guys. Davo winning that battle at the end, and Leo with that lob shot (for the empty-netter),” Levi said. “I mean, that's incredible. If he doesn't score there, we're on a six-on-four for another minute and a half.”

It's refreshing to hear a young goaltender speak this confidently about his teammates, especially considering how little opportunity he was getting in Buffalo.

Edmonton has also received some good performances from Tristan Jarry, who recorded consecutive shutouts while Levi was injured.

Andersen, on the other hand, was supposed to be the guy doing all of this, and it was his experience and recent success that gave us all so much confidence early into training camp.

But what exactly is he returning to?

Levi has won eight of nine, Jarry has been playing some of his best hockey since arriving in Edmonton, and the Oilers are playing the best they have in a long time. How do you know all of this and still switch things up?

Andersen is going to have to earn his playing time, and it's difficult to see Babcock taking the net away from Levi while he's producing these results.

A few months ago, Levi needed Andersen's injury to get an opportunity, but he's taken advantage of it, and now Andersen is the one who needs an opportunity to prove himself.