It has recently been rumoured by Jeff Marek and Bruce Garrioch that the Ottawa Senators have interest in Devon Levi of the Buffalo Sabres. Levi spent this season in the AHL with the Rochester Americans, where he posted a 23-20-9 record alongside a .904 save percentage. Earlier in his career, there was significant buzz surrounding Levi after he dominated at the World Junior Championships for Team Canada and established himself as one of the NCAA’s top players at Northeastern University. Since then, however, his path to the NHL has become increasingly difficult.
Levi has struggled to crack Buffalo’s NHL roster, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon handling the majority of games, while Colten Ellis unexpectedly earned himself 16 appearances as well. Even before the season began, Buffalo signed Alexander Georgiev to a professional tryout before eventually cutting him. The road to the NHL only became murkier for Levi. According to Marek, the relationship between Levi and the Sabres is “over.”
Postmedia’s Garrioch also backed the claim that Ottawa has interest in the young goalie. Before his NCAA career, Levi played just outside Ottawa in Carleton Place. Garrioch also interviewed former NHL goalie turned analyst Kevin Weekes, who suggested the Senators could consider bringing Levi in as a backup behind Linus Ullmark. However, it was also suggested that the asking price could include Leevi Merilainen.
Merilainen had a rough stretch in Ottawa this season, but he managed to find his footing again in Belleville behind a fairly mediocre roster. Still, this move feels somewhat like a band-aid solution. Moving from one unproven goalie to another does little to help the Senators in the immediate future. Levi’s potential remains incredibly high, which is why he could attract interest from several teams, not just Ottawa. However, turning to a goalie with only five more NHL games than your current option would not necessarily represent the best management decision for a team trying to win now.
That said, acquiring Levi could make sense as a long-term, low-risk, high-reward move. His trade value likely should not be overly high, especially considering he becomes waiver eligible next season. If Ottawa could acquire him for a later-round pick or a comparable prospect, it would be worth considering. However, moving Merilainen, who is more projectable, particularly due to his size would not be the ideal move, especially after he helped stabilize Ottawa’s season previously with a .925 save percentage and eight wins while Ullmark was injured.
Ultimately, if the Senators want to truly address their backup goaltending situation, they will likely need someone with more NHL experience than either Levi or Merilainen. It has been suggested that Ottawa could inquire about Stuart Skinner and Connor Ingram. Both would provide more reliable options behind Ullmark
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