The Edmonton Oilers wanted to find some kind of goalie help this offseason, and so they took a chance by trading with the Buffalo Sabres for Devon Levi.
In Levi’s first start with the Oilers, he allowed seven goals. A bit of an “uh oh” moment, for sure.
Since then, Levi has been brilliant, and Edmonton is rolling.
Devon Levi Recent Stats
Levi obviously can’t be entirely excused for the seven goals he allowed in his first Oilers start, but that was also in a bonkers 9-7 Edmonton win that felt totally wacky even while it was happening, so it’s worth considering what has happened since.
In Levi’s second start, he was in net at home against the Seattle Kraken. He faced 20 shots and saved 19 of them (95%). He let in just one goal. The Oilers won, 3-1.
Levi’s third start came on Oct. 7 in Anaheim against the Ducks. They had 31 shots against him, and Levi saved 29 (93.5%). He let in two goals in a 5-2 win.
And Levi’s most recent start came Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings, again on the road. This time, he faced a whopping 40 shots, and he saved 39 of them (97.5%). The Oilers won the game 4-1.
So in his last three starts, Levi has faced 91 shots and saved 87 of them. That’s about as good a run as a goalie can get on.
Levi is still splitting time with Tristan Jarry, and the Oilers also have Frederik Andersen currently out injured.
But Levi, 24, is still not far removed from his days as a promising prospect. There’s at least some reason to believe he could simply be fulfilling his potential. The Oilers will keep using him for as long as he keeps playing like this.
Sabres Missing Devon Levi
The Sabres traded Levi to the Oilers on July 1 for a third- and a seventh-round draft pick in 2028.
They were mostly just giving up on his development. After prior promise, he spent most of the past two seasons at AHL Rochester.
Buffalo already had three potential goalies at the NHL level in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis.
So far this season, UPL has been booed by the home fans, Lyon has been out injured and Ellis has let in multiple soft goals and had to be pulled mid-game.
Buffalo may still stabilize and be just fine in net, but it’s certainly ironic that now Levi is gone and playing well elsewhere at a time when the Sabres could probably use him.
He’s not the only one, either. A longer-ago former Sabres goalie, Linus Ullmark, has been the best goalie in the league so far for the Ottawa Senators.
Oilers’ Devon Levi On Fire After Sabres Trade