A Sabres player is done with the team after what happened yesterday
Devon Levi and Lindy Ruff look headed for a Buffalo split after fresh trade talk cut through the Sabres' Game 7 pain.
That is a brutal time for this kind of story to surface.
Buffalo had barely walked off the ice after the overtime loss to Montreal when the focus already started shifting toward the crease and what comes next.
The report put it in the bluntest way possible:
-
That is strong language, and it matches the roster squeeze in front of him.
Levi is 24, and the issue is not talent alone. The issue is fit, timing, and whether Buffalo can actually give him the NHL runway he needs next season.
Right now, that looks hard to see.
Devon Levi may be completely done with the team after yesterday's events
The Sabres already have 4 goaltenders under contract through 2027: Levi, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis.
That is too much traffic for a young goalie who likely does not want another year waiting in the minors.
And Buffalo is not in development-only mode anymore. This team just pushed to a Game 7 in Round 2. The Sabres believe they are a playoff team now, and teams in that lane do not usually hand out NHL starts for patience projects.
They want results.
That is why Levi feels like the odd man out, even if his upside still has real value around the league. He was a major prospect when Buffalo got him in the Sam Reinhart deal, and that kind of pedigree does not disappear just because the NHL path got messy.
To me, it feels like this could be one of those situations where a change of scenery ends up helping everyone involved, especially for a young goalie trying to reset and grow.
Levi could be the next version of that.
From Buffalo's view, this is about timing more than failure. Luukkonen and Lyon gave them a steadier tandem this season, and Ellis adds insurance depth. Levi is the one who still needs opportunity more than protection.
That is where the tension sits.
If Buffalo keeps him, it risks wasting another year of a goalie who needs NHL work. If it moves him, it is admitting the development path no longer fits the roster reality.
That is not an easy call. It is probably still the right one.
Because once a team reaches the point where it cannot give a young goalie real room, the best asset move is often to trade him before the value starts to sag.
Levi may still become a very good NHL goalie.
It just may not happen in Buffalo.
Source : Reports of a goalie trade coming for the Buffalo Sabres
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YESTERDAY
MAY 18, 2026
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Bolduc | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Phillip Danault | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Greenway | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Beck Malenstyn | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Owen Power | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zach Benson | - | - | - | |
| Bowen Byram | - | - | - | |
| Cole Caufield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||