The Edmonton Oilers have acquired goaltender Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. Levi, 24, is expected to serve as the backup to Tristan Jarry, replacing Connor Ingram, who previously held that role. The move comes after the Oilers traded Darnell Nurse's contract to the San Jose Sharks, freeing up cap space.
Levi's Path to Edmonton
Levi spent the entire 2025-2026 season in the AHL with the Rochester Americans, despite being on a one-way contract. The Sabres had four goalies on one-way deals—Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis, and Levi—making it impossible for him to crack the NHL roster. No longer waiver-exempt, Buffalo was forced to trade him. In his NHL career, Levi has a 17-17-2 record with a 3.29 goals-against average and .894 save percentage over 39 games.
Oilers' Goaltending Shuffle
The Oilers began the 2025-2026 season with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard as their tandem. However, Skinner signed a two-year, $3.75 million AAV deal with the Winnipeg Jets after a trade through Pittsburgh, and Pickard—who lost his job to Ingram last December—signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Wild, who are dealing with Filip Gustavsson's hip surgery. The Oilers also pursued Florida Panthers backup Danill Tarasov, but he signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings to play alongside John Gibson.
Management's Confidence in Levi
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman expressed optimism about Levi's potential. “Tristan’s going to be back and the most important thing was to find a good, young goalie who has a lot of promise to his game,” Bowman said. “He’s played 39 NHL games so it’s not like he’s totally new to the opportunity. But his recent success has been in the American League and he’s been knocking on the door for an NHL opportunity.” Bowman drew parallels to Brandon Bussi, who similarly excelled in the AHL before winning the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. “When you’re able to replicate success at the AHL level for multiple years it’s usually an indicator for somebody breaking through,” he added.
Levi's Excitement and Family Ties
Levi, who is six-foot-one and has faced questions about his size throughout his career, welcomed the change of scenery. “I definitely wasn’t sleeping. I had my phone on,” said Levi, who was philosophical about his time in the minors but remains confident in his NHL abilities. “I didn’t know if something would happen but there were four guys on one-ways in Buffalo and something was going to shift obviously, with it being July 1 and the market opening,” he said. “My agent had mentioned the Oilers. And, yeah, Edmonton’s amazing, the legacy of this team, the landscape, and I’ve got family there. My grandfather and a cousin.” Levi also fondly recalled Rogers Place, where he played for Team Canada during the 2020 World Juniors alongside Dylan Cozens, Quinton Byfield, and Bo Byram. “That rink might be one of my all-time favourites, that was my world junior rink,” he said.
Financial and Performance Outlook
Levi's cap hit is $812,000, a bargain compared to Jarry's $5.4 million AAV. The Oilers hope Levi can provide reliable goaltending and potentially outperform Jarry, who struggled last season. With the trade, Edmonton aims to stabilize its goaltending situation and make a deep playoff run.
