Senators Eyeing External Backup Goaltender Acquisition
While free agency is still more than a month away, that isn’t stopping teams from starting to put together their offseason wish lists. To that end, an upgrade at the backup goalie position is an obvious item for the Senators. Leevi Merilainen (a pending restricted free agent) struggled mightily early on in the season and while James Reimer (a pending unrestricted free agent) was a serviceable midseason replacement, they should be setting their sights higher heading into the summer.
With that in mind, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that one of the netminders they’re expected to consider is pending UFA goaltender Stuart Skinner. He added that there is a belief that the veteran will be one of their top targets in free agency, especially with the expectation that he won’t return to Pittsburgh.
Skinner had established himself as the starting goaltender for several years, at least for most of that stretch. He was surpassed at times when he struggled but found his way back before long to the number one role. The 27-year-old helped lead the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, although they lost both times.
Edmonton opted to keep their goalie tandem intact from last spring, a decision that ultimately didn’t work out. Skinner was inconsistent to start the season and was ultimately moved to Pittsburgh with the hopes that Tristan Jarry would be an upgrade. (That wound up not being the case.) Meanwhile, following the swap, he held his own in the back half of the year with the Penguins, posting a 2.99 GAA with a .885 SV% in 27 starts and played the first three games of their first-round loss to Philadelphia.
Skinner certainly isn’t going to be entering the UFA market as a sure-fire starting goaltender but the fact he has logged starter’s minutes would be appealing to a team like Ottawa. While the Sens have a number one in Linus Ullmark, he has never played 50 games in a season before. That makes getting someone capable of making 30-plus starts more important so Skinner would fit the bill.
It appears Ottawa GM Steve Staios isn’t just considering free agent options, however. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link) that Sabres goaltender Devon Levi is a name of interest for the Senators.
Levi was once viewed as Buffalo’s goalie of the future, especially after a strong showing in college and a 2023 debut that nearly led the Sabres to a playoff spot. But things haven’t gone well since then with the team ultimately deciding the following two years that more time in the minors would be beneficial. Coming into this season, the 24-year-old had a 3.29 GAA and a .894 SV% in 39 career NHL appearances.
He didn’t add to those totals in 2025-26. In his final year of waiver exemption, Levi played exclusively with AHL Rochester, posting a 2.83 GAA and a .904 SV% in 52 games. The 24-year-old is signed for next season already with his $812.5K AAV checking in below the minimum salary which will make him appealing.
With Buffalo already having Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis all under contract, there really isn’t room for Levi on the NHL roster next season. And if they believe that they won’t be able to get Levi through waivers, looking to move him for some value in the coming weeks makes sense for them.
Levi would certainly represent a riskier pickup for Ottawa, however. They hoped that they had a young goalie ready for the role in Merilainen this season but that didn’t work out. Levi is only eight months older and while he has a bit more of a track record, he has yet to make it through a full NHL season yet. There would be some upside for sure but the risk would be higher as well.
Staios will undoubtedly have other external pickups on his wish list heading into the annual offseason carousel of backups. These are two of the younger players who could be in play; it will be interesting to see if they’ll consider some older shorter-term options as well or if their preference will be to aim for someone who could be in that spot for a few years.
Sabres Likely To Explore Moving Devon Levi
For the last little while, there has been growing speculation that the Buffalo Sabres will move on from netminder Devon Levi relatively soon. Those rumors aren’t going away anytime soon. Speaking on Coming In Hot, Jeff Marek of the Daily Faceoff shared that the relationship between the Sabres and Levi is “over”.
Specifically, Marek mentioned that the Ottawa Senators had recently reached out to the Sabres regarding Levi in the hopes that he could play in the backup role behind Linus Ullmark. Marek opined that the Senators could reach out to Buffalo again this summer about the netminder’s availability.
While it’s rare for intradivisional rivals to engage in trading, the Senators and Sabres collaborated on a deal that sent Joshua Norris to Buffalo and Dylan Cozens to Ottawa last year. However, that trade was made when Kevyn Adams was the General Manager of the Sabres, and it’s unknown if Jarmo Kekäläinen will have the same appetite to make intradivisional swaps.
Regardless, it would make sense for Buffalo to make Levi available in trade talks this summer. The Sabres already have the tandem of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon signed through next season, and will presumably retain Colten Ellis as the third-string option unless they decide to expose him to the waiver wire in September.
For the past two years, Levi has almost exclusively played for the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Overall, he has maintained solid production, but can be relatively streaky at times. Throughout the past three years, he has managed a 64-39-22 record in 120 AHL contests with a .914 SV% and 2.52 GAA, including 10 shutouts. Additionally, he has a 17-17-2 record in 39 NHL games with a .894 SV% and 3.29 GAA.
In the podcast, Marek suggested that the relationship between Buffalo and Levi has declined, given the initial excitement the team expressed when signing him and the lack of extended NHL opportunities since then. Since he’s signed through next season at an $813K salary, Levi doesn’t have much say in the matter, but would likely welcome any change of scenery that comes with more NHL playing time.
Obviously, the Edmonton Oilers immediately come to mind as a team that should inquire about Levi should the Sabres make him available. Although the Oilers are desperate, it’s unlikely that Buffalo will force them to part with significant capital, given that not many teams are looking for goaltending improvements this summer. Yes, the Oilers desperately need goaltending help, but the Sabres don’t have much flexibility to start a bidding war with other teams.
Sabres Shopping Devon Levi
With the Sabres carrying three goalies all season long, there hasn’t been a place for youngster Devon Levi. Once viewed as their netminder of the future, now, it appears that he’s a trade chip. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that the Sabres are now shopping the 24-year-old.
Levi was a seventh-round pick by Florida back in 2020 and has certainly outperformed that draft slot. He never suited up for the Panthers as he was instead part of the trade that saw Sam Reinhart go to Florida. Levi immediately became Buffalo’s top goalie prospect and after a strong college career, he turned pro in 2023, nearly helping lead the Sabres to an improbable late playoff spot that ultimately came up just short.
That had expectations sky-high heading into the 2023-24 campaign. However, he wasn’t able to live up to them and wound up splitting the year between Buffalo and AHL Rochester. Levi was then expected to be a factor last season but only saw nine NHL games with the bulk of his playing time coming in the minors. This year, he has played exclusively with the Amerks, posting a 2.71 GAA and a .909 SV% in 38 contests.
Levi has a total of 39 career outings with Buffalo under his belt but his under-the-hood numbers aren’t the greatest, with a 3.29 GAA and a .894 SV%, though last year’s short disastrous stint does skew those a bit.
Levi is still waiver-exempt this season and is signed through next year at a cap hit of just $812.5K, putting him below next year’s league minimum. That could make him an especially appealing target for a team that’s looking for some potential upside in a backup goalie while trying to keep their costs down, so Buffalo should be able to get some interest in him.
With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen signed long-term and starting to live up to the potential he was thought to have early in his career and Colten Ellis showing some promise, it looks like the Sabres have at least their short-term goalie tandem intact. Luukkonen is signed through 2028-29 while Ellis is under club control through 2027-28, meaning there isn’t necessarily a spot for Levi anymore. While his value isn’t as high as it was a couple of years ago, Levi’s value could drop next season once he’s waiver-blocked so the time might be right for GM Jarmo Kekalainen to move him.
Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Levi, Bergqvist
While Maple Leafs winger William Nylander was able to get back in Toronto’s lineup before the Olympics, he hasn’t been practicing fully with Sweden at the Olympics. That has led to speculation that the lingering groin issue he has been dealing with is still bothering him. As Michael Traikos of The Hockey News relays, the veteran winger indicated that while he’s managing the injury, he’s feeling good at the moment. Nylander has a goal and an assist in three games so far with the Swedes wrapping up preliminary round action earlier today. That has to be encouraging for Toronto as they’ll need him at his best if they’re going to have any shot at trying to close the gap in the Atlantic Division to get back into the playoff picture.
More from the Atlantic:
- Sabres goalie Devon Levi acknowledged to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that he no longer feels rushed anymore when it comes to his development. Buffalo put him straight into a late-season playoff chase in 2022 but since then, he has struggled at the NHL level. This season, the team had him take a step back as he has played exclusively with AHL Rochester and has done well, posting a 2.57 GAA with a .910 SV% in 32 appearances. Even with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen currently injured, Buffalo will need to have another netminder go down with an injury before Levi becomes a viable option to be recalled this season.
- Canadiens prospect Rasmus Bergqvist has been loaned from the SHL to Ostersunds of the second-tier Allsvenskan, per a team announcement from SHL Skelleftea. The 20-year-old has been a regular with Skelleftea this season while picking up four assists in 37 games, albeit with diminishing ice time. The hope is that the drop to the lower level will allow Bergqvist to play a bigger role while maintaining eligibility to be recalled later in the season or into the playoffs.
East Notes: Sabres, Romanov, Lundell, Laba
In Tuesday’s rendition of Oilers NOW with Bob Stauffer, his guest, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, spoke on the situation in the crease for the Buffalo Sabres. Friedman believes that the Sabres will need to recall Devon Levi sooner rather than later, which would confound an already complicated situation between the pipes.
Even without Levi, Buffalo already has three goaltenders on the roster when healthy: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis. However, in his introductory press conference, new General Manager Jarmo Kekäläinen stated that he wasn’t comfortable having three on the roster and would address that as soon as possible. Since then, Ellis and Lyon have each spent time on the IR, effectively kicking the can down the road.
Despite Kekäläinen’s desire to move a goalie off the roster, Levi remains blocked. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old has made a name for himself, compiling a record of 53-25-15 in 91 games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, achieving a .917 SV% and a 2.45 GAA over the past three years. It’s hard to see how Levi could make the NHL roster this season, so the Sabres have more work ahead regarding their goaltending situation.
Additional notes from the Eastern Conference:
- In late November, the New York Islanders shared that defenseman Alexander Romanov would miss five to six months after undergoing shoulder surgery. Giving a little bit more specificity to that timeline today, Andrew Gross of Newsday shared that Romanov is a possibility to return to the playoffs if the Islanders qualify. Given that there was no indication provided otherwise, that means that Romanov’s 2025-26 regular season has concluded. The 26-year-old will finish with one assist in 15 games with a -7 rating, averaging 19:27 of ice time per game.
- The NHL’s Department of Player Safety is involved in last night’s game between the Florida Panthers and the Montreal Canadiens. They have fined Panthers forward Anton Lundell $5,000, the maximum allowable under the current CBA, for high-sticking Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier. Lundell was originally given a double-minor on the play.
- If everything goes according to plan, the New York Rangers will return third-line center Noah Laba to the lineup tomorrow afternoon. According to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, Laba was a full participant at practice today. The 22-year-old forward has been dealing with an upper-body injury since December 31st, and was given a week-to-week recovery timeline.
Sabres Reassign Devon Levi, Isak Rosen
Two notable names were found among the 24 which were trimmed from the Buffalo Sabres training camp roster Saturday: Devon Levi and Isak Rosen.
Levi, 23, was unable to break through another crowded goaltender room, featuring Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, newcomer Alex Lyon, and the recently signed Alexander Georgiev.
The addition of Georgiev was another blow to Levi’s chances to make the club, but the top prospect is set to return to a Rochester Americans team as a standout, and continue to develop in a winning AHL environment. It remains hard to forget that the seventh-round pick gem was a key piece from Florida in return for Sam Reinhart, however, Levi has put up elite numbers in the AHL, and clearly the Sabres are in no rush with his development, especially as the organization works to turn things around as a whole.
Rosen, Buffalo’s 14th overall choice in the 2021 draft, has improved each season statistically with AHL Rochester, but has yet to make an impact in the NHL, with one assist in 15 games played. The 22-year-old was a name to watch going into Buffalo’s camp as pushing to make the club. Now Rosen will return to the AHL, looking to build off his team-leading 2024-25 campaign with the Americans, where he put up 55 points in 61 games, and fight to earn a midseason call-up from the Sabres.
Buffalo continues to hold three veteran goaltenders, which will be worth monitoring as the season approaches.
Sabres Sign Devon Levi To Two-Year Deal
The Sabres announced that they have signed restricted free agent goaltender Devon Levi to a two-year deal. It’s a cap hit of $812,500, presumably paying him a league-minimum salary in each of the next two years on a one-way deal for a total value of $1.625MM.
Levi, 23, was Buffalo’s last unsigned RFA. The promising netminder had little to no leverage in contract talks this summer as a dual-threat 10.2(c) player – not only was he ineligible to file for salary arbitration, he was also ineligible to receive and sign offer sheets.
His time in the Sabres organization has been marked by a clear disconnect between his NHL and minor-league performances. Overall, he has 39 NHL appearances (36 starts) to his name over the last three years, underwhelming with a 3.29 GAA and .894 SV%. Those numbers are even propped up by a strong showing in his first taste of NHL action in late 2023; he only has a .892 SV% in the last two seasons with a subpar .448 quality start percentage.
Combining that with his excellent performance with the AHL’s Rochester Americans over the last two seasons has put him in an odd spot between being a true No. 2 or No. 3 on the Sabres’ depth chart. He’s logged 68 games for the Amerks since the beginning of 2023-24, posting a .922 SV% and 41-19-10 record with seven shutouts. He’s arguably been the league’s best goalie during that time, usurping the Flames’ Dustin Wolf after he landed a full-time NHL gig.
Those numbers come on the back of Levi serving as the best goalie in college hockey for two seasons with Northeastern, making his ceiling all the more tantalizing. Initially a 2020 seventh-round pick by the Panthers from the Carleton Place Canadians of the CCHL, a junior ‘A’ league, he had a coming-out party with Canada at the following year’s World Juniors and was eventually traded to Buffalo in the Sam Reinhart deal. In his two years with Northeastern before turning pro with the Sabres, he posted a .942 SV% and 16 shutouts in 66 games and was given the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA’s top goaltender both times.
The Sabres were hoping Levi could take a significant step forward in his development last season, even waiving veteran James Reimer at the beginning of the year to make Levi the opening-night backup. He had just a .870 SV% through his first seven games before Buffalo was able to reclaim Reimer off waivers from the Ducks, allowing them to return Levi to the AHL. He only made two more NHL appearances the rest of the way for a 2-7-0 record, .872 SV%, 4.12 GAA, and -8.0 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.
That undoubtedly left a sour taste in the Sabres’ mouth and left them unwilling to dole out a contract with a seven-figure cap hit, something we’ve seen teams do with high-ceiling but unestablished netminders to try and squeeze some value out of them while they’re breaking out into NHL minutes. For Levi, it’s not as if he had much choice if he wants a legitimate chance to fight for an NHL job in camp and leapfrog veteran Alex Lyon, who the Sabres signed in free agency as veteran insurance, as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen‘s backup to begin the year.
His lack of leverage in talks means a league-minimum deal if he cracks the NHL roster. Still, he’ll at least be much more well-compensated if he returns to Rochester after spending the last two seasons under the two-way structure of his entry-level contract.
Image courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Sabres Recall Tyson Kozak, Reassign Devon Levi
The Buffalo Sabres have swapped two frequent-movers between their NHL and AHL lineups, recalling winger Tyson Kozak to the majors and assigning goaltender Devon Levi back to the minors. This move comes in response to Sabres’ starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returning to full health after missing the team’s Monday game with an undisclosed injury. Luukkonen will start in net when Buffalo faces Vancouver on Tuesday, head coach Lindy Ruff told Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Levi started in Buffalo’s Monday loss to the Seattle Kraken. He allowed five goals on 33 shots, bringing his season statline to a 2-7-0 record, .872 save percentage, and 4.12 goals-against-average in nine appearances. He’s been much more effective with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, where he’s served as the team’s starter. Levi has posted a defiant 12-3-2 record and .913 save percentage in 17 games with Rochester, making him the team’s only goaltender with more than 10 wins and a save percentage north of .900. He briefly matched that success in the first seven games of his NHL career, back in 2022-23, when Levi managed a 5-2-0 record and .905 save percentage through matchups that included four playoff teams. This move will return Levi to his post looking over Rochester, and give him another chance to prove his consistency to the Sabres brass.
Meanwhile, Kozak will return to Buffalo’s roster after being assigned to the minors before Monday’s game. The Sabres activated forward Jiri Kulich from injured reserve in a corresponding move. Kulich returned from a four-game absence on Monday, and even earned a top-line role with fellow center Ryan McLeod inactive due to an upper-body injury. Buffalo winger Jordan Greenway is also out with injury, though the team hasn’t yet disclosed any specifics. Even with those absences, Kozak is likely to serve as the 13th forward in Tuesday’s matchup. He will however be a quick fill-in if the Sabres experience any further injuries or cold streaks, giving Kozak a chance to break his own cold spell after recording no scoring and just two shots through his last four NHL appearances. He has one goal in seven NHL games – the first of his career – this season.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Devon Levi, Place Ryan McLeod On Injured Reserve
One of the best goaltending prospects is headed back to the NHL. The Buffalo Sabres announced they’ve recalled goaltending prospect Devon Levi and have placed forward Ryan McLeod on injured reserve.
Levi’s recall would appear long overdue at face value. He’s been exceptional in the AHL this season with the Rochester Americans amassing a 12-3-2 record in 17 games with a .913 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against average. As promising as his efforts in the AHL have been, this production is largely par for the course for Levi.
In his third season in the Sabres organization, Levi has managed a 28-9-6 record in 43 total games in AHL Rochester with a .922 SV% and 2.38 GAA. Unfortunately, his splits with Buffalo haven’t been nearly as promising with a 17-16-2 record in 35 career starts with a .896 SV% and 3.24 GAA. Given his production at the NHL level up to this point, it’s hard to argue Levi should even be considered an upgrade on backup netminder James Reimer.
Still, at 23 years old, he’s exceptionally young for a goaltending prospect, and there’s no reason to think his AHL production isn’t an eventual sign of things to come in the NHL. Regardless of Levi’s play with the Sabres, Buffalo’s loss of McLeod for at least the next three games is the most disappointing part of this transaction.
The Sabres didn’t provide many specifics to McLeod’s injury but it’s reasonable to think it was suffered in the team’s most recent game against the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday night. There’s a chance McLeod will miss the next four games for Buffalo given they’re embarking on a Pacific Division road trip on Monday.
Factoring in the high cost of acquiring McLeod (Matthew Savoie, ninth overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft) from the Edmonton Oilers this past summer, his six goals and 18 points through the first 41 games of the season likely came as a disappointment to the Sabres.
Despite the poor offensive start to the year, he’s quieted much of the disappointment in the last week. He’s been one of Buffalo’s top players over the past week scoring four goals and six points, including a hat trick against the Carolina Hurricanes, with a +4 rating in only four games.
McLeod’s recent uptick in scoring makes this injured reserve placement all the more unpleasant to the Sabres. They’ve played better of late with a 6-4-1 record in their last 11 but will have to look to other forwards to replace McLeod’s production.
Sabres Reassign Devon Levi
12/16: Buffalo has loaned Levi back to Rochester. Levi allowed four goals on 40 shots in Buffalo’s Sunday loss to Toronto. He will return to the AHL, where he’s set a 7-1-1 record and .916 save percentage so far this season.
12/15: The Sabres’ top goaltending prospect is back in the NHL. Devon Levi has been recalled from AHL Rochester, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He will start later today against the Maple Leafs, head coach Lindy Ruff told Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. Defenseman Ryan Johnson has been returned to the minors in a corresponding move to open a roster spot, the team confirmed.
Levi, 22, started the season on the NHL roster but played sparingly behind starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. That was simply due to strong play from the latter and weak play from the former. Levi was a strong backup option last season, posting a .899 SV% and 3.10 GAA behind a demanding workload. However, few-and-far-between starts likely contributed to a steep regression for the youngster in 2024-25. In six starts and one relief appearance, Levi managed just a .870 SV% and 3.95 GAA with a 2-5-0 record. His -7.5 goals saved above expected are the worst on Buffalo by far and seventh-worst in the league despite his low workload, per MoneyPuck.
That led the Sabres to reclaim veteran James Reimer off waivers in mid-November after they lost him to the Ducks at the beginning of the season. After re-installing him as Luukkonen’s backup, Buffalo returned the waiver-exempt Levi to Rochester on Nov. 18 to get him more playing time and, by extension, regain his confidence.
It was a prudent move by Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams. Levi has been stellar on the farm, posting a 7-1-1 record in nine games with Rochester with a 2.08 GAA, .916 SV% and two shutouts. That’s nothing new from the 2020 seventh-round pick of the Panthers, who Buffalo acquired as part of the trade that sent Sam Reinhart to Florida. Levi was similarly spectacular when on assignment to Rochester last season, finishing fourth in the league with a .927 SV% in 26 outings.
Nonetheless, Ruff wouldn’t confirm today if Levi’s promotion is a long-term bump or a short-term jolt to help the Sabres exit a debilitating nine-game losing streak. “I don’t really have that answer, but he’s going to play this game, and we’ll make a decision,” he told Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Both goalscoring and goaltending have been recent issues for the Sabres, whose last win was a 4-2 victory over the Sharks on Nov. 23. Luukkonen has a .890 mark in seven starts, while Reimer has a .860 in two over the losing streak. However, Buffalo won’t win many contests by scoring just 2.22 goals per game.
Outside of the current circumstances, it’s another chance for the Sabres’ top goaltending prospect to prove he can be a difference-maker at the NHL level after solidifying himself as an elite talent at every other step in his development. The Montreal native was arguably the best goaltender in college hockey during his two seasons with Northeastern in 2021-22 and 2022-23, logging a .942 SV% and 16 shutouts in 66 appearances and winning the Mike Richter Award for the NCAA’s top goaltender on both tries.
Meanwhile, Johnson returns to the minors after a middling showing during his 10-day recall. He appeared in Buffalo’s last three games with Rasmus Dahlin sidelined due to back spasms, posting no points and a -2 rating while averaging 17:40 per game. He recorded four blocks and one hit while hurting Buffalo’s puck possession at even strength, controlling only 45.2% of shot attempts. In contrast, the Sabres controlled 52.6% of shot attempts without Johnson on the ice.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.