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

[Zman5778]

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[jmelm]

He's good.

 

[Chainshot]

Prospect Info: - Devon Levi, G (Obtained in Reinhart trade) Northeastern University (NCAA)

Can anyone share some information on him ? I'm not hoping for much - i just hope he doesn't become TT 2.0 simply because of who he was traded for...

hfboards.mandatory.com

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

Prospect Info: - Devon Levi, G (Obtained in Reinhart trade) Northeastern University (NCAA)

Can anyone share some information on him ? I'm not hoping for much - i just hope he doesn't become TT 2.0 simply because of who he was traded for...

hfboards.mandatory.com

Wow, there's a lot to unpack just in those two sentences

 

[buffalowing88]

I think he'll be in the 2023-2024 season what Miller was in the 2005-2006 season for us. By then we should at least be considered a playoff contender.

I get down on this guy but there's plenty of empirical evidence suggesting he's better off doing what he thinks is right until he's approaching his mid 20s as a goalie. It's probably the most unusual position in pro sports in terms of development and shelf-life.

 

[Jim Bob]

I think he'll be in the 2023-2024 season what Miller was in the 2005-2006 season for us. By then we should at least be considered a playoff contender.

I get down on this guy but there's plenty of empirical evidence suggesting he's better off doing what he thinks is right until he's approaching his mid 20s as a goalie. It's probably the most unusual position in pro sports in terms of development and shelf-life.

He wont’t be an NHL starter in 23-24. He will be in Rochester.

 

[joshjull]

 

[jmelm]

Hard to argue with that if that's his desire. Shows a lot of character and wanting to be the absolute best he can be and live up to his full potential.

p.s. he's obviously still not signing btw

 

[Fezzy126]

I respect the kid's decision, I just wish his desire was working through the pressure of carrying an AHL team as a 20 year old

 

[jmelm]

I respect the kid's decision, I just wish his desire was working through the pressure of carrying an AHL team as a 20 year old

But that may also be contingent on just how good the AHL team is going to be. With Quinn & Peterka graduating, are they really going to be a Calder Cup kind of contender? And even if they are, his college season would be done before the AHL playoffs start and he could finish the year in Rochester -- best of both worlds

 

[old kummelweck]

I find Adams pressers pretty useless, and anything he says at this point sets off my spin detector. Both sides have managed to keep their cards very close around what they want to do and timelines. Adams is a bit out on a limb with this Reinhart deal, and he may say he's happy with Levi's decision, but if were him I'd feel way better about this asset if he were under contract and in Roch in 22/23.

His whole demeaner around goal tending feels a bit like someone waiting for their horse to come in.

 

[jmelm]

I find Adams pressers pretty useless, and anything he says at this point sets off my spin detector. Both sides have managed to keep their cards very close around what they want to do and timelines. Adams is a bit out on a limb with this Reinhart deal, and he may say he's happy with Levi's decision, but if were him I'd feel way better about this asset if he were under contract and in Roch in 22/23.

His whole demeaner around goal tending feels a bit like someone waiting for their horse to come in.

What are you going to do? You can't force a kid to sign.

And if the kid wants to go back, you can try to encourage him to change his mind; but there's a line between encouragement and pressure, and the latter is counter productive. You want the team to feel like they're supporting you if you're going to commit to them.

Levi would be throwing away a huge opportunity to sign with a team that has the best pool of young prospects & players and a hell of a bright future. But if he only ever wants to play for MTL, there's nothing we could do about that and it would be very surprising. But that's what Portillo is for. I know there's concerns about each of these guys individually, but it's highly unlikely that both would refuse to sign here.

All that said, if Ville Husso hits UFA this summer, I go all in on trying to sign him and then we have our goalie for the next 7+ years anyway, because I think he's a legit top 10 G in the NHL. So it's not all or nothing with either of Portillo & Levi.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

He wont’t be an NHL starter in 23-24. He will be in Rochester.

Yeah, I don't like that Adams answered a question about UPL by mostly talking about Levi. It shows that he doesn't really have any plan for goaltending until Levi shows up in 2026, maybe 2025. He's probably just going to have shitty placeholders until then, which kind of sucks.

 

[Zman5778]

This is kind of consistent with what we know of the kid. He's built differently.

 

[jmelm]

Yeah, I don't like that Adams answered a question about UPL by mostly talking about Levi. It shows that he doesn't really have any plan for goaltending until Levi shows up in 2026, maybe 2025. He's probably just going to have shitty placeholders until then, which kind of sucks.

Well, in fairness, he may very well either have trade or UFA targets in mind, and he's prohibited in talking about other players. He can't come out and say "we're going to go hard after Ville Husso this summer" or "we'd love to get Marc-Andre Fleury here to be our goalie and a mentor for our young players".

And from a trade point of view, he's not going to come out and say "we're going to be looking to the trade market for a goalie" because it hurts his negotiating position with opposing GMs, if that's his plan, and it's also not sending the kind of message to Levi or Portillo that you want to send to them as believing they're the goalies of the future.

In short, I would expect him to say (or not say) exactly what he's been saying (or not saying lol).

I didn't see the quote he made about referencing Levi in response to a question about UPL -- that is pretty awkward.

 

[old kummelweck]

What are you going to do? You can't force a kid to sign.

And if the kid wants to go back, you can try to encourage him to change his mind; but there's a line between encouragement and pressure, and the latter is counter productive. You want the team to feel like they're supporting you if you're going to commit to them.

Levi would be throwing away a huge opportunity to sign with a team that has the best pool of young prospects & players and a hell of a bright future. But if he only ever wants to play for MTL, there's nothing we could do about that and it would be very surprising. But that's what Portillo is for. I know there's concerns about each of these guys individually, but it's highly unlikely that both would refuse to sign here.

All that said, if Ville Husso hits UFA this summer, I go all in on trying to sign him and then we have our goalie for the next 7+ years anyway, because I think he's a legit top 10 G in the NHL. So it's not all or nothing with either of Portillo & Levi.

It's less about whether he will sign or not, and more about the Sabres needs now and having two G prospects in the NCAA. They needed one of their college guys this year. Adam's didn't get done.

 

[RefsIdeas]

Yeah, I don't like that Adams answered a question about UPL by mostly talking about Levi. It shows that he doesn't really have any plan for goaltending until Levi shows up in 2026, maybe 2025. He's probably just going to have shitty placeholders until then, which kind of sucks.

Isn't that really concerning though? What if Levi doesn't pan out? 3 years of mediocre goaltending leading up to him, followed by a few more while giving him a fair chance? He's a stud of a prospect - sure - but so was DiPietro, Mika Noronen, Mark Visentin, Pascal LeClaire etc etc.

Just so odd if we really do end up with doing nothing impactful and just hope Levi will be a star in 3 years.

 

[jmelm]

It's less about whether he will sign or not, and more about the Sabres needs now and having two G prospects in the NCAA. They needed one of their college guys this year. Adam's didn't get done.

What was Adams leverage here? This is not a "failure" on his part, and no GM in the league can force a kid to sign if they don't want to sign.

It will only be a failure if one or both don't sign after next season, and/or Adams fails to address goaltending by other means. There's a lot carts being put before the horses in this thread.

And neither Levi or Portillo are ready to have an impact on the big club and, this is what some people also keep overlooking -- that the development time of these goalies doesn't necessarily change whether they go back to school or the AHL. It's very possible that 1 more year of college + 1 year in the AHL will be equal in development as turning pro now and then needing 2 full years in the AHL. There's no guarantee that these guys would only need X amount of time in the AHL no matter when they make the jump. It's much more likely they will need less time in the AHL if they have another year in college, because it's not only about how many AHL games/seasons they play, but that in combination with age, physical & mental maturity, and overall progress.

People need to chill!

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Isn't that really concerning though? What if Levi doesn't pan out? 3 years of mediocre goaltending leading up to him, followed by a few more while giving him a fair chance? He's a stud of a prospect - sure - but so was DiPietro, Mika Noronen, Mark Visentin, Pascal LeClaire etc etc.

Just so odd if we really do end up with doing nothing impactful and just hope Levi will be a star in 3 years.

Yeah, it makes him sound really dumb. I guess I just hope he's lying and has some kind of actual plan.

 

[old kummelweck]

What was Adams leverage here? This is not a "failure" on his part, and no GM in the league can force a kid to sign if they don't want to sign.

It will only be a failure if one or both don't sign after next season, and/or Adams fails to address goaltending by other means. There's a lot carts being put before the horses in this thread.

And neither Levi or Portillo are ready to have an impact on the big club and, this is what some people also keep overlooking -- that the development time of these goalies doesn't necessarily change whether they go back to school or the AHL. It's very possible that 1 more year of college + 1 year in the AHL will be equal in development as turning pro now and then needing 2 full years in the AHL. There's no guarantee that these guys would only need X amount of time in the AHL no matter when they make the jump. It's much more likely they will need less time in the AHL if they have another year in college, because it's not only about how many AHL games/seasons they play, but that in combination with age, physical & mental maturity, and overall progress.

People need to chill!

Adam's has mismanaged the goaltending is simply what I'm saying. I'm not going to get into details in this thread, but I'm surprised there is contrary opinion on this. There have been many windows to diversify his strategy, he didn't and hasn't.

Levi isn't specifically a failure. He's a element of the failure. The failure is much bigger and much more multi-faceted around goal keeping.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

Wow, there's a lot to unpack just in those two sentences

I'll explian those comments.

The post was made right after the Reinhart trade when nearly everybody was freaking out about the return- i was OK with it just based on the value of the pick honestly - i felt that many had overestimated Reinhart's trade value.

I'd seen the toxic manner many on this forum had acted towards TT in the past. I always believed he had some potential & hoped that Levi wouldn't be treated in a similar way

But who'd have thought that less than a year later - we'd be talking about TT as a legit top line CENTRE & Levi as our probable #1 goalie prospect above UPL & Portillo?

 

[jmelm]

Adam's has mismanaged the goaltending is simply what I'm saying. I'm not going to get into details in this thread, but I'm surprised there is contrary opinion on this. There have been many windows to diversify his strategy, he didn't and hasn't.

Levi isn't specifically a failure. He's a element of the failure. The failure is much bigger and much more multi-faceted around goal keeping.

And my argument is it's only a failure if he doesn't do something major in the offseason, because even if one or both of those guys signed, it wouldn't fill the immediate need for the next 2 or possibly 3 years.

That's why I say to go hard after Husso in UFA. That would be my Plan A.
Plan B would be Darcy Kuemper.
Plan C, however unlikely, signing MA Fleury would be great transition goalie and mentor.
Plan D would be to trade for a quality goalie.

If he does none of the above, that will be a massive failure. So I want to see how things play out before making any final judgements.

And the Levi thing is not a failure as of today -- it's only a failure if he doesn't sign after next season.

 

[haseoke39]

I don't blame Adams for neither guy signing, but I do expect Adams to adjust. With the holes he has to fill, he has the license to go after another goaltending prospect, IMHO, even if that boxes out one of the NCAA guys. I suspect Levi is going to sign in the end, but Portillo? Portillo, at least, should not presume an AHL spot is being saved for him.

 

[old kummelweck]

And my argument is it's only a failure if he doesn't do something major in the offseason, because even if one or both of those guys signed, it wouldn't fill the immediate need for the next 2 or possibly 3 years.

That's why I say to go hard after Husso in UFA. That would be my Plan A.
Plan B would be Darcy Kuemper.
Plan C, however unlikely, signing MA Fleury would be great transition goalie and mentor.
Plan D would be to trade for a quality goalie.

If he does none of the above, that will be a massive failure. So I want to see how things play out before making any final judgements.

And the Levi thing is not a failure as of today -- it's only a failure if he doesn't sign after next season.

Ah. Yes, and my arguement is he's failed miserably so far. Both Levi and Portillo are part of that failure, but only because he has two similar assets in the org with the same trajectory and (lack of) contract status, and next to NOTHING else.

 

[jmelm]

Ah. Yes, and my arguement is he's failed miserably so far. Both Levi and Portillo are part of that failure, but only because he has two similar assets in the org with the same trajectory and (lack of) contract status, and next to NOTHING else.

Sure, that is fair. So much will depend on what happens this summer, and of course after the next college season. Failure is definitely hanging on a knife's edge and we'll see which way things fall.