Prospect Info: Devon Levi, G, Northeastern University (obtained in Reinhart deal) - Signed 3/17/23, Assigned 4/3/24

[TehDoak]

According to who?

The team trending on being the best team to ever play in the NHL, thought differently with their young goalie prospect. Swayman has played all of 14 total games in the AHL.

Swayman's AHL time was killed by Covid and the taxi squad. His rookie year, the Providence Bruins played 25 total games. He played 9 of them, Vladar played 10. I also believe Rask/Halak both missed significant time that year.

He would have significantly more AHL time under a more typical AHL season.

I posted this same thing in the Goaltending thread....but the only Vezina winner without significant professional Hockey experience before playing in the NHL the past decade was Carey Price. The expectation should be set him up to be the starter in the AHL. The only reason he should get significant starts in the NHL next year is injuries.

 

[Tijuana Donkey Show]

Swayman's AHL time was killed by Covid and the taxi squad. His rookie year, the Providence Bruins played 25 total games. He played 9 of them, Vladar played 10. I also believe Rask/Halak both missed significant time that year.

He would have significantly more AHL time under a more typical AHL season.

I posted this same thing in the Goaltending thread....but the only Vezina winner without significant professional Hockey experience before playing in the NHL the past decade was Carey Price. The expectation should be set him up to be the starter in the AHL. The only reason he should get significant starts in the NHL next year is injuries.

I agree with you. But if, and that is a big if, he plays lights out and we find out way into the playoffs, I am not sure there is a reasonable path to sending him to the AHL. Not without getting a vested vet who is a standard deviation better.

If Levi continues to play as he has, it will be tough to get a quality NHL starting goal tender to come in for what is likely just a year, maybe 2 max, before he loses his job.

I think part of the issue with bringing Levi along slowly is two fold. One, he is really effing good. Two, we don't have that vet in house today which is why Levi likely should and does get the start against Florida. So now you have to go shop for a guy who has to be a very good starting goal tender for a very temporary gig.

 

[toddkaz]

Friedman on 32TP says before signing with the Sabres, Devon Levi wanted to make sure they believed in him and if he played well there was a path for him to get there faster than perhaps a lot other prospects would get.

 

[Diaspora]

The expectation should be set him up to be the starter in the AHL. The only reason he should get significant starts in the NHL next year is injuries.

That's my expectation, and it will stay that way unless I see enough contrary evidence.

Tonight will be evidence collection.

 

[TehDoak]

I agree with you. But if, and that is a big if, he plays lights out and we find out way into the playoffs, I am not sure there is a reasonable path to sending him to the AHL. Not without getting a vested vet who is a standard deviation better.

If Levi continues to play as he has, it will be tough to get a quality NHL starting goal tender to come in for what is likely just a year, maybe 2 max, before he loses his job.

I think part of the issue with bringing Levi along slowly is two fold. One, he is really effing good. Two, we don't have that vet in house today which is why Levi likely should and does get the start against Florida. So now you have to go shop for a guy who has to be a very good starting goal tender for a very temporary gig.

You go get a starting goalie....period.

Am I signing someone to a 7 year deal this summer? No.

You have 2 full seasons of Levi on his ELC. And since its a 10.2c contract, he won't be eligible for offersheets or arbitration when he's a RFA, so no worry about letting him get to RFA.

There are no guarantees with any prospect. We HOPE Levi becomes a starting NHL goalie....there are no guarantees.

So go out, get a starting goalie. A good one. If the starting goalie is still good in two years AND IF Levi is ready to be the full time starter...you will have no problem moving your other goalie.

What you can't do is handcuff yourself in getting an upgrade because you are betting Levi will be ready to be a starter and you don't want to 'block' him. Get the best goalie you can. If there ever is an issue where you have two good goalies and need to move one....it'll be a good issue to have. The only way it gets hard is if you get a goalie with a bloated contract and a NMC.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I tend to agree with you. While I think there's a remote chance that Levi is built differently than most.......it certainly feels like we're rushing things.

Maybe they rush him next year. But giving him some games down the stretch this year is really really common for prospects. Especially NCAA prospects that sign in March. If playing a handful of games this year negatively impacts his development…that’s on Levi and not the Sabres.

 

[Tijuana Donkey Show]

You go get a starting goalie....period.

Am I signing someone to a 7 year deal this summer? No.

You have 2 full seasons of Levi on his ELC. And since its a 10.2c contract, he won't be eligible for offersheets or arbitration when he's a RFA, so no worry about letting him get to RFA.

There are no guarantees with any prospect. We HOPE Levi becomes a starting NHL goalie....there are no guarantees.

So go out, get a starting goalie. A good one. If the starting goalie is still good in two years AND IF Levi is ready to be the full time starter...you will have no problem moving your other goalie.

What you can't do is handcuff yourself in getting an upgrade because you are betting Levi will be ready to be a starter and you don't want to 'block' him. Get the best goalie you can. If there ever is an issue where you have two good goalies and need to move one....it'll be a good issue to have. The only way it gets hard is if you get a goalie with a bloated contract and a NMC.

I am not saying you handcuff yourself to Levi.

I am saying that IF Levi does the unthinkable, and plays a high percentage of games and gets this team into the playoffs, then it will be difficult to upgrade the starting goal tender with anybody better than Comrie/UPL/Levi.

What starting goal tender, who is much better than anybody we have in house, is coming in to start maybe one, maybe two seasons tops? Hell, they might lose their job mid-season next year.

You can't just waive a magic wand and generically say "just go get a starting goal tender".

 

[threeVo]

Cant we all just hope he carries this team to the playoffs, finds Price like magic in the post season, and we just let Comrie back him up next year? UPL can play in Rochester.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

No pressure here kid.

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

I. f***ing. Love this kid!

 

[Dubi Doo]

I. f***ing. Love this kid!

I was totally for him starting in the AHL next year, and I still think that's a good path to take, but given quotes like this and his 'unleash the beast' quote that he followed up with a damn good game agaisnt a good team during our playoff push, and Im getting the vibe that this kid has the mental toughness that'll fast-track his path to the NHL. Him splitting time with a 1A goalie next year isn't totally out of the question, which I thought wasnt the case a few weeks ago.

Let's see how plays to end the season. Im excited for the kid!

 

[jcbeze]

Cant we all just hope he carries this team to the playoffs, finds Price like magic in the post season, and we just let Comrie back him up next year? UPL can play in Rochester.

He'd get claimed. I'd rather waive Comrie and keep UPL

 

[Sabre the Win]

I love Levi's quotes but I worry about this ego. If he takes losses as a learning experience that's a winner but if losses get him in his head we could be in trouble.

 

[Reddawg]

He'd get claimed. I'd rather waive Comrie and keep UPL

Agree. That's all we need is another Ullmark situation with 6k. I'm truly happy for Linus, I really am...but it had to be the Bruins he turns into the all-world Vezina goalie of the year backstopping?

 

[toddkaz]

I know the comparison isn't fair but this guy reminds me so much of Hasek and in many ways. Not necessarily the playing style but the his demeanor and attitude. He strives for perfection from himself, intense, never give up and will make any play he can to save the puck, always on the play, tracking the puck and predicting the play.

 

[brian_griffin]

I love Levi's quotes but I worry about this ego. If he takes losses as a learning experience that's a winner but if losses get him in his head we could be in trouble.

As long as Levi isn't the second coming of Tom Barrasshole, he'll be fine.

Fun fact, Barrasso is actually 2 months younger than Hasek, yet was in his 7th year in the NHL before Dom finally played his first NHL game.

 

[BloFan4Life]

Swayman's AHL time was killed by Covid and the taxi squad. His rookie year, the Providence Bruins played 25 total games. He played 9 of them, Vladar played 10. I also believe Rask/Halak both missed significant time that year.

He would have significantly more AHL time under a more typical AHL season.

I posted this same thing in the Goaltending thread....but the only Vezina winner without significant professional Hockey experience before playing in the NHL the past decade was Carey Price. The expectation should be set him up to be the starter in the AHL. The only reason he should get significant starts in the NHL next year is injuries.

He was 22 at the time, they could have easily just sent him back to Providence to start the "typical" next season, but they opted to keep him up and for him to get NHL games. They didn't worry about him developing in the NHL as a 22/23 year old.

I really don't care if Levi becomes a Vezina winner. I think that is a very narrow search.

I just don't see the AHL being any better for a goalie than the NHL. Did UPL even develop down there? He had terrible numbers down there. You can't tell me the better goalie coach is in the AHL. I also hate the AHL scheduling. It's so weekend heavy. I would rather not him play back to back games no matter where he is, so does that mean he is playing once a week down there?

 

[boots electric]

I understand and respect that there's been very few goalie prospects that went from the NCAA directly into the NHL without many/any AHL starts in between, so I get the hesitancy when it comes to committing to Levi being in the NHL to start next season. But given that skaters are starting in the NHL at younger and younger ages over the last 20ish years combined with the commonly held position that goaltending is unpredictable voodoo, I've wondered for some time now if most of the entire league isn't just flat-out wrongheaded about goalies and NHL starts. If a guy has the skill and the correct temperament, why should the development path and timeline be so drastically different than other positions? Why should it be so out of the ordinary for 'tenders to get NHL starts at 21 years old?

This isn't an argument for or against Levi by the way. It would be incredibly risky for the Sabres to draw a line in the sand and say everyone else is wrong with how they develop goalies and then have Levi blow up in their face. This is more just me wondering aloud if we aren't due for a big shift in how the position is handled from a developmental perspective.

 

[oldgoalie]

As long as Levi isn't the second coming of Tom Barrasshole, he'll be fine.

Fun fact, Barrasso is actually 2 months younger than Hasek, yet was in his 7th year in the NHL before Dom finally played his first NHL game.

God, he was such an asshole. I had heard a story that his Porsche got trashed (torched?) at the Buffalo airport because he was such a dick. I don't know if that's true or not, but karma.

 

[TehDoak]

He was 22 at the time, they could have easily just sent him back to Providence to start the "typical" next season, but they opted to keep him up and for him to get NHL games. They didn't worry about him developing in the NHL as a 22/23 year old.

I really don't care if Levi becomes a Vezina winner. I think that is a very narrow search.

I just don't see the AHL being any better for a goalie than the NHL. Did UPL even develop down there? He had terrible numbers down there. You can't tell me the better goalie coach is in the AHL. I also hate the AHL scheduling. It's so weekend heavy. I would rather not him play back to back games no matter where he is, so does that mean he is playing once a week down there?

The AHL is better for a goalie to develop because, while its a step down, skillswise, from the NHL, it mirrors the NHL is all the ways that will be challenging to a goalie coming from Junior/NCAA. The more compacted schedule and higher volume of starts is a big change. The faster pace of play is evident as well. And, finally, it means the AHL team can take the lumps of a goalie learning hard lessons in real time rather than the NHL team. In the AHL, they can choose to play a goalie through a rough patch, even if the backup goalie is playing better. In the NHL, you would go with whatever goalie is playing best.

There is a reason that nearly every goalie starts off in the AHL. It's a rarity to see someone make the jump to the NHL directly. In end season situations where the team is effectively eliminated from the playoffs (like us), you will see young goalies get a few starts.

 

[Ralonzo]

I feel they did this with Greg O'Renko and Gus to an extent if we go back 10 years. Or Risto/Zadorov on defense in that era too. Levi may be unique, but I'm game to err on the side of caution. If he plays well, great. If he pushes into the starters role quickly? Wonderful. But I'm not attached to that outcome.

I'm of the opinion that Levi isn't feeling the pressure of 11 years of fail; he's been a Sabre for what, 11 days? Everyone's expectation is, he's in Rochester full-time next year for development. If he doesn't pull this off, it's no catastrophic setback, he's just not quite ready for the opportunity. The pressure should go to every other goalie on the team that has been unable to seize the #1 reins where playing the 11-day Sabre actually is a viable option.

 

[Tijuana Donkey Show]

I feel they did this with Greg O'Renko and Gus to an extent if we go back 10 years. Or Risto/Zadorov on defense in that era too. Levi may be unique, but I'm game to err on the side of caution. If he plays well, great. If he pushes into the starters role quickly? Wonderful. But I'm not attached to that outcome.

I think this is where most of us are too.

There is a small faction here arguing that he HAS to brought along slowly. Or he HAS to be the starter next year.

Barring him and this team getting scorching hot and doing the unlikely run of the table and making the playoffs, Levi is in the AHL for at least a portion of next season with a few call ups.

BUT....if he does the unthinkable....then I don't know how he doesn't take a full time roster spot next season.

 

[BloFan4Life]

The AHL is better for a goalie to develop because, while its a step down, skillswise, from the NHL, it mirrors the NHL is all the ways that will be challenging to a goalie coming from Junior/NCAA. The more compacted schedule and higher volume of starts is a big change. The faster pace of play is evident as well. And, finally, it means the AHL team can take the lumps of a goalie learning hard lessons in real time rather than the NHL team. In the AHL, they can choose to play a goalie through a rough patch, even if the backup goalie is playing better. In the NHL, you would go with whatever goalie is playing best.

There is a reason that nearly every goalie starts off in the AHL. It's a rarity to see someone make the jump to the NHL directly. In end season situations where the team is effectively eliminated from the playoffs (like us), you will see young goalies get a few starts.

I think you are grossly overestimating the AHL. It wouldn't shock me to see Minnesota beat an AHL team. I watch a ton of college hockey, and the only difference I see from the AHL games I have seen, is the cheap shots. College has largely cleaned that up, while the AHL is full of has beens and no beens out there trying to start stuff. I will be honest with you, I don't really care about taking Levi's lumps next year. He can't be much worse than some of the goaltending we got this year. Would you rather watch Comrie struggle game after game, or watch Levi learn?

I think the AHL is an old school thought. I think more and more with the advancement of College hockey, the AHL will become less of a spot to throw guys to. Levi could have come out last year, and I would agree that he would have been in the AHL this year. He thought he would develop more in College than he would in the AHL. I can't see him all of sudden thinking the AHL is the place he should be.

I look at some of the goalies that played a bit in the AHL from college like Oettinger, and don't even know if it really did anything. His numbers were good in college, good in the AHL and good in the NHL. People will point to Knight as some like example, but that's unfair to me seeing that he was much younger than Levi and he is currently away from the team for personal reasons.

I will say this, if the plan is for Levi to be in the AHL, they better hire a real goalie coach down there and they better figure out a better defense around him. Treating him the same way they treat UPL, will provide nothing to his development.

 

[Gras]

I think you are grossly overestimating the AHL. It wouldn't shock me to see Minnesota beat an AHL team. I watch a ton of college hockey, and the only difference I see from the AHL games I have seen, is the cheap shots. College has largely cleaned that up, while the AHL is full of has beens and no beens out there trying to start stuff. I will be honest with you, I don't really care about taking Levi's lumps next year. He can't be much worse than some of the goaltending we got this year. Would you rather watch Comrie struggle game after game, or watch Levi learn?

I think the AHL is an old school thought. I think more and more with the advancement of College hockey, the AHL will become less of a spot to throw guys to. Levi could have come out last year, and I would agree that he would have been in the AHL this year. He thought he would develop more in College than he would in the AHL. I can't see him all of sudden thinking the AHL is the place he should be.

I look at some of the goalies that played a bit in the AHL from college like Oettinger, and don't even know if it really did anything. His numbers were good in college, good in the AHL and good in the NHL. People will point to Knight as some like example, but that's unfair to me seeing that he was much younger than Levi and he is currently away from the team for personal reasons.

I will say this, if the plan is for Levi to be in the AHL, they better hire a real goalie coach down there and they better figure out a better defense around him. Treating him the same way they treat UPL, will provide nothing to his development.

The volume of games is different hes played 32 and 35 games the past two seasons in college, he would to build up to a starter workload, 50 or more games in the AHL. Needs to build up the physical and mental stamina.

 

[BloFan4Life]

The volume of games is different hes played 32 and 35 games the past two seasons in college, he would to build up to a starter workload, 50 or more games in the AHL. Needs to build up the physical and mental stamina.

How many guys play 50 more games in the AHL? The schedule there is terrible so its tough to get a lot of games in for a goalie.

Someone like Oettinger played 38 games and then the next year in the NHL played 29. Vasilevskiy split time in his first two years between AHL and NHL, never playing more than 30 in AHL. Shesterkin played 25 games while splitting time. Sorokin never played in AHL. Saros played 38 games before splitting time in NHL.

Look at the other younger goalies: Hart 18 games, Knight 11 games, Swayman 14 games between two years.

This narrative of the AHL being some development league for goalies is wild to me.