Devon Levi may give Sabres some seller’s remorse

It was no surprise when the Buffalo Sabres traded Devon Levi over the summer. The Oilers were desperate for a goalie, and the Sabres were cutting bait on a prospect that just didn’t work out.

But it’s been Levi’s roller coaster season that has put Buffalo in a bit of awkward spot.

Levi got off to a disastrous start in Edmonton, giving up seven goals to the Vancouver Canucks in a 9-7 slugfest win by the Oilers.

All of the questions about why the Sabres dumped Levi were reinforced, seemingly making it clear that the organization had made the right decision.

But then, the Oilers seemed to tighten up around Levi, actually playing fairly decent defensive hockey in front of him. And that change allowed Levi to seemingly flourish in Edmonton. Following the awful debut, the 24-year-old surrendered two goals against the Anaheim Ducks in a 5-2 win, then gave up one in a 4-1 win over the LA Kings.

Those results called the Sabres’ decision to trade Levi into question. And considering the uncertainty behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the calls are justified. Then again, Levi’s latest performances and the feeling of seller’s remorse dampened a bit.

Levi allowed three goals in a 4-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth, and another three in a 4-3 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild.

Then, splat.

Levi coughed up five tallies against the Carolina Hurricanes in a wild game that ended in a 6-5 win for the Oilers.

The next day, the club announced that Levi hit the shelf with an undisclosed injury.