BUFFALO, N.Y. — Devon Levi isn’t naive about the expectations facing him.
It’s been less than a week since Levi, the Buffalo Sabres’ top goalie prospect, signed his entry-level contract. He’s been in the building for a few days but hasn’t yet practiced as he waits for his immigration paperwork to be processed. But fans in Buffalo are already eager to see Levi in the Sabres’ net and wondering if he can be the answer to the goalie issues that have plagued this franchise since Ryan Miller’s departure.
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“The great thing about expectations is they’re not real, they’re just what people are talking about,” Levi said. “It’s talk about the future. The way I’ve always dealt with expectations is kind of not dealing with them. It’s just talk, everyone’s going to have something to say. I love the fans. I’m super excited to be able to play in front of them.
“And at the same time, going back to Northeastern, there was a lot of expectation that I got to have another great year and this and that. But for me, I’m just going to go out and do the thing I love, stop the puck, and I trust that the outcomes are going to take care of themselves. So I have expectations for myself and my attitude about how I approach the game. And other than that, those are the only expectations that I kind of hold myself to.”
One thing that’s clear about Levi is he dreams big, so he won’t mind Sabres fans doing the same. The front office and coaching staff in Buffalo seem open-minded to a lot of possibilities with Levi. Goalie is a unique position in terms of development, but Levi has also proven to be a different prospect than most. His results show that, but his mental approach to the game is also advanced for his age.
So what are some of the key questions facing the Sabres when it comes to Levi? Here’s a quick explainer.
Why is he starting out in Buffalo?
The Sabres thought either Buffalo or Rochester could be beneficial for Levi’s development. Because he signed an entry-level contract and with the time of year he’s signing, he wouldn’t have been eligible for the AHL playoffs. By coming to Buffalo, Levi gets a chance to be around the team while it is going through the pressure of a playoff push. This also gives the team a chance to see where he is in relation to the NHL competition and gives him areas to focus on heading into the summer. Granato believes strongly in how much young players can improve over the summer after getting a chance to reflect on their experiences during the season.
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“We want to give him as much of that hindsight,” Granato said of Levi. “That was very, very important for me and us as an organization to have Owen Power play eight games at the end of last year. I wanted him to go into the summer with hindsight, playing against Auston Matthews, playing against this team, playing in this situation. Very, very important. So for Devon, it’s the same approach.”
Levi also gets a chance to be mentored by Craig Anderson, even if just for a month. Anderson might be in the final season of his career, so that opportunity wouldn’t have been available next season.
“I feel like in this month or so that I’m here I can get a year’s worth of development out of,” Levi said.
When will he play?
Levi still hasn’t gotten into a practice, but he has been skating on his own. The Montreal native was playing under a student visa at Northeastern and now needs a work visa. Once that paperwork is completed, Levi can get on the ice for practice. Granato wants him to play in games this season, but he wants to wait until he’s gotten up to speed. He needs new equipment and that equipment needs to be measured and approved by the NHL. He needs to adjust to the speed of NHL shooters and get his timing down at this level. Once the Sabres feel comfortable with where he is in that process, Granato will be ready to put him in a game. Levi’s first practice will likely be Thursday. The team then plays three games in four days at home against the Devils, on the road against the Islanders and at home on Monday against the Canadiens, Levi’s hometown team. That seems like the earliest it would be reasonable to expect him in a game, assuming the Sabres want him to get his first start at home.
Can he still play in Rochester?
Levi can still play in Rochester and that remains a possibility for next season. Granato has alluded to that in recent days. Part of why the team was excited to get him to Buffalo is because he might play in Rochester next season. In that regard, this opportunity in Buffalo might not be available next season.
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What’s the scouting report on him?
Levi’s height will be discussed a lot in the years to come. He’s shorter than most NHL goalies, but he makes up for it with pristine technique and advanced skating ability. He’s quick both as an athlete and as a thinker. He’s constantly reading the play and has the reaction skills to quickly cover ground.
As his personal goalie coach Marco Raimondo put it, “He has an engineer mind where things are going to add up and you’re going to get a final answer,” Raimondo said. “That’s how I see him compute the game. He knows if he’s going to be in this spot, it maximizes his ability to stop that puck. He’s also just a quick athlete. It’s proving to be such a deadly combination. The reason why this kid is going to be one of the best goaltenders is just because he’s so freaking obsessed with the position that it’s scary. He does not get bored with it. He always finds ways to get better.“
The mental part of the game is why the Sabres think he can handle this early introduction to the NHL. At practice on Monday, Levi was sitting in the stands and studying the goalies. Anderson has already noticed how inquisitive Levi is. Granato thinks that is what can help him acclimate to the NHL quickly. When he thinks about goalies who have succeeded in the NHL, it’s not always the talent that separates them.
“There was no discrepancy in talent,” Granato said. “It was what I just said, learning when the goal goes in, it’s not a mystery to them. They actually know or they watch it on film and say, ‘I should have read that, I should have known that, I can fix that.’ The guys that don’t know what just happened to them feel overwhelmed. ‘I don’t know what happened to me, I don’t know how to fix it, I don’t even know how to evaluate it.’ But they’re talented. Those are the athletes that will struggle and unfortunately not make it as a result of just that. They get games and time and maybe contracts, but if they can’t evaluate and correct it eventually catches up to them and it hurts their confidence significantly.”
Why do goalies take longer?
The developmental path of goalies typically takes longer than for forwards or defensemen. Connor Hellebuyck, Jusse Saros, Ilya Sorokin and other top NHL goalies all spent significant time in the AHL before making the jump. More goalies have started to buck the trend, though. Carter Hart, Jeremy Swayman and Spencer Knight all got to the NHL with fewer than 20 games of AHL experience.
“I think it comes down to confidence,” Anderson said earlier this season. “When you go to a new place and a new level, that can be tough on you if you don’t have the foundation set to rely on. That’s where the four years of school, or three, whatever it might be, or a couple of years in the minors, that sets that foundation where you can have failures and mistakes and it doesn’t matter because you’re not getting paid and it’s not win at all costs. You get to the NHL, it’s win at all costs.”
Anderson also mentioned that sometimes goalies try to do too much when they first get to the league and that can get them in trouble.
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“I feel like, coming to this level it can be overwhelming,” Anderson said. “You feel like whether it’s playing the puck too much or being super aggressive. Being patient and letting the game come to you, sometimes the game is easier at this level than it is at some of the other levels because there’s more structure and control, kind of systems-wise and where guys are supposed to be. It’s a mental battle, these guys are quicker and agile. It’s just a matter of making the game slow down and letting the game come to you.”
Why is he wearing No. 27?
Levi will wear No. 27 for the Sabres. He wore No. 1 at Northeastern, but Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has No. 1 in Buffalo.
“Twenty-seven was my number of choice because growing up, it was my favorite number,” Levi said. “I feel like little me would be happy that I chose this number, just dreaming about playing in the NHL. It’s the day of my birthday, it’s my dad’s birthday also. Also, my house address was 127. So number 27 was just big in my life when I was a kid so I thought I’d bring it back.”
(Photo: Richard T Gagnon / Getty Images)
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