Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman did the smart thing this summer when it came to fixing the organization's goaltending issues. First of all, he recognized that goaltenders don't struggle on their own, and while Tristan Jarry was not good in 2025-26, the defensemen in front of him needed to be better as well. Accordingly, Edmonton's blueline will look quite different this coming fall.
Next, he made two separate bets on new goaltending options. Frederik Andersen, on a bonus-laden, one year deal, fresh off leading the Carolina Hurricanes almost all the way to their Stanley Cup victory. And he brought in a potential longer term solution as well when he traded with the Buffalo Sabres for Devon Levi. Andersen is coming off a knee injury and a relevantly pedestrian regular season, while Levi spent the entirety of the past year with Buffalo's minor league affiliate, the Rochester Americans.
Levi has pedigree, but struggled in the NHL
Levi first gained the general public's attention as the starting goaltender for Team Canada at the U20 World Junior tournament in 2021, where he posted a dynamite save percentage of .964. The team fell short of the gold, but even the final game was a defensive battle, and Levi's star looked to be on the rise.
Goaltending prospects are rarely NHL-ready immediately following their draft year, and Levi didn't play a game for the Florida Panthers before he became a piece of the return in the Sam Reinhart trade. He logged 30 games with the Sabres over the next three seasons, managing a middling record of 17-17-2. He save percentage was sub-.900, but the Sabres were not a particularly good team.
When Levi has had better players around him, his performance has generally seen a bump. Invited to the 2023 World Championship, he won his single start, and the team won a gold medal. It's a shame he didn't earn any starts with Buffalo in 2025-26, because that version of the Sabres was a far more competent squad. It could have shown where Levi's NHL capabilities sit, but on the other hand, it might have increased the cost of the trade where Edmonton acquired him.
Levi isn't going to be the first solution that Oilers head coach Mike Babcock tries in the upcoming season. Jarry, with his much larger cap hit, may get a shot at showing that his struggles last season were an anomily, and if he struggles, or maybe even if he doesn't, Andersen is going to get his own window to become the Oilers' number one netminder. Levi, with the Oilers likely to run with three goaltenders, (which can cause roster headaches for a GM), will see some NHL starts, but as a relatively unproven NHL goalie, it's safe to expect him to see the shortest leash.
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