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In the autumn of 2025, Devon Levi found himself in Rochester, New York, striving to demonstrate his worth to an organization that had already made up its mind. The Buffalo Sabres had sent him down before the season commenced, making it clear that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was their undisputed starter. Adding to the frustration, they claimed Colten Ellis off waivers from St. Louis, and Ellis delivered a .903 save percentage in a backup role, further dimming Levi's prospects.
Levi, a two-time NCAA top goaltender and world juniors silver medalist, once seemed destined to be Buffalo's netminder of the future. Yet, he spent the entire 2025-26 campaign in the American Hockey League with no clear path back to the NHL. On July 1, 2026, his five-year stint with the Sabres concluded via a phone call, as he and a 2028 seventh-round pick were traded to Edmonton in exchange for a third-round pick.
The Oilers have a history of goaltending struggles. After Cam Talbot, a series of netminders came and went, with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard eventually guiding the team to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals before faltering. Last season, they traded Skinner to Pittsburgh for Tristan Jarry, hoping to solve the issue, but Jarry's performance in Edmonton mirrored the inconsistency that plagued him elsewhere. By July, the Oilers found themselves once again searching for answers in goal.
In response, Edmonton made two acquisitions. Hours after the Levi trade, they signed Frederik Andersen, a 36-year-old reigning Stanley Cup champion, to a one-year, $1 million deal—a clear stopgap rather than a long-term solution. Jarry remained on the roster, with two years left on his $5.375 million annual contract, his salary locked in regardless of his output. Levi, meanwhile, entered with a contract expiring at a critical juncture for the franchise.
Levi is set to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2027, the same year Jarry becomes eligible for an extension. At that moment, roughly $26 million in cap space will open up for Edmonton, marking the largest single-year increase the team has seen in years. The Oilers now face three intertwined timelines, all converging in 2027, with Levi's performance potentially dictating the outcome.
Key Analysis
If Levi excels, Edmonton could enter 2027 with a cost-effective goaltender on a modest deal, allowing them to extend him before the market resets and allocate the freed cap space to strengthen the roster around him. Jarry's extension talks would then shift focus to building depth behind Levi. Conversely, if Levi struggles or fails to get adequate playing time, Jarry becomes the goaltender Edmonton must commit to long-term, even though they had hoped to spend that money elsewhere. Andersen's expiring contract leaves no obvious backup plan, intensifying the pressure on Levi.
Goaltending analyst Kevin Woodley has closely studied Levi's game, noting his exceptional skating and footwork, which rank among the fastest in the NHL. The primary challenge, according to Woodley, is curbing Levi's aggression—a mental adjustment more than a physical one, and potentially the key battleground this fall. Edmonton's decision-making will be scrutinized, as panic signings or premature extensions could derail their plans. The narrative could unfold in two ways: Levi could emerge as the dominant goaltender from his junior and college days, finally given the opportunity Buffalo never provided, with Stan Bowman solving a decade-long problem for a mere third-round pick and a minimal contract. Alternatively, he might become just another in a long line of goaltending resets for the Oilers. Regardless, the answer won't come from Andersen or Jarry, whose futures are already set. It will come from the 24-year-old who spent last year in Rochester, proving little to an organization that had stopped watching, now facing one contract year in Edmonton to prove everything at once.
Originally reported by yahoo.