Oilers' Devon Levi Shows Potential Sabres Gave Up On

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EDMONTON, CANADA - NOVEMBER 7: Devon Levi #27 of the Edmonton Oilers awaits the start of the game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place on November 7, 2026, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Leila Devlin/Getty Images)

The Buffalo Sabres have a bunch of goalie options, particularly with Alex Lyon returning soon from injury.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis have spent plenty of time in net already, and Lyon will make it even more crowded.

None of them, though, have matched what Edmonton Oilers goalie Devon Levi is doing right now.

Levi’s name is likely very familiar to Sabres fans. He was the next big thing. He was supposed to be their long-term answer.

Instead, the Sabres never found space for Levi. They traded him to the Oilers over the offseason. And now Levi is playing better than anyone Buffalo has in net.

Devon Levi Hot Streak

GettyANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 07: Devon Levi #27 of the Edmonton Oilers during a 5-2 Oilers win over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on October 07, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Devon Levi is far from the every-night starter for Edmonton, but when he plays, he’s been fantastic.

Oilers commentator Bob Stauffer shared Levi’s stats over his last eight games, and they’re phenomenal:

The @EdmontonOilers Devon Levi last 8 starts:

Record: 7-1-0
GAA: 2.23
SVP: .920 https://t.co/Umf3MUp86N

— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) November 10, 2026

That’s the kind of goalie performance that you can win a Stanley Cup with if it keeps up the whole season.

Clearly, the Oilers would like to see this in an even larger sample size out of Levi. But right now he’s doing what he can — when they call his number, Levi delivers.

Sabres Missing Devon Levi

GettyEDMONTON, CANADA – NOVEMBER 7: Brendan Gallagher #7 of the Vancouver Canucks collides with Devon Levi #27 of the Edmonton Oilers during the first period of the game at Rogers Place on November 7, 2026, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Leila Devlin/Getty Images)

The Sabres couldn’t find a spot for Levi, even last year.

Two years ago, Levi at least saw a bit of NHL action, but he wasn’t great, and he most played for AHL Rochester.

Last season, Levi spent the whole year with the Rochester Americans, and his stats were actually worse in the AHL than the year before.

Levi was so common a presence for the Amerks that their fans had a “Levi” chant they’d start anytime he made a big save. That’s cool in one sense, but in another sense, Levi would’ve surely preferred his name be chanted in an NHL arena.

Finally this offseason, the Sabres cut ties. They dealt Levi to Edmonton with a seventh-round pick for a third-round pick.

It was Buffalo admitting that it couldn’t make the most out of Levi. But so far with the Oilers, Levi is certainly making the most of his fresh start.