Per PuckPedia, if Levi hits those performance bonuses it won't affect the cap next year because we aren't using the LTIR stuff. So I guess that's nice. - Zschalberg
You're concerned about the cap next year?
If they didn't have room for any earned bonuses at the end of the year, they'd take an overage into the following year. They did it a few years ago.
Location: The Edge...The only people who really know where it is have gone over Joined: 09.06.2012
Mar 17 @ 3:27 PM ET
You want to trade Rosen or Ostlund + more for Carter Hart? Who the hell do you think Carter Hart is? - Jammerz04
Age 20 went 16-13 .917 sv%
Age 21 went 24-13 .914 sv%
He's been mediocre since then but on a pretty bad team. The sabres would at least give him some scoring support. He's used to the high danger chances so at least there's that.
If they didn't have room for any earned bonuses at the end of the year, they'd take an overage into the following year. They did it a few years ago. - Lunaion
I am not. But for those that are and have been saying that we can't afford to get anyone because player x needs a raise, the info is there. It's also something the Sabres could do that other teams would have struggled more with so I thought it was relevant to bring up.
Location: Formerly Visionville, Now Purgatory Joined: 07.29.2021
Mar 17 @ 3:35 PM ET
I am not. But for those that are and have been saying that we can't afford to get anyone because player x needs a raise, the info is there. It's also something the Sabres could do that other teams would have struggled more with so I thought it was relevant to bring up. - Zschalberg
Well Adams got his Goalie signed. Now it's time to move to the next faze of the puzzle. - Buff36
Reinhart nets you Levi and Kulich, which is looking like a pretty sweet return.
Eichel gets you Ostlund, Tuch, Greenway, and Krebs.
Ristolainen gets you Rosen and Haag (who gets flipped for a 6th)
Breaking down a team is the easy part but still, gotta think the returns are looking good so far and the first look at the build is promising.
PHILADELPHIA – Nearly two years ago, when the Buffalo Sabres were in the throes of a roster overhaul, General Manager Kevyn Adams acquired a young goalie whose historic performance at a top tournament raised eyebrows across the NHL.
Adams and his staff waited patiently, and recruited wisely, while Devon Levi honed his craft at Northeastern University. The 21-year-old broke records and earned numerous accolades while showcasing remarkable maturity in the crease. His technique is precise and his hockey sense is that of an NHL veteran.
On Friday, the Sabres' scouting, development and patience paid off when Levi put pen to paper on a three-year entry-level contract that officially ended his collegiate career. Levi will report to Buffalo to join the Sabres after completing the necessary immigration process, sources told The News.
Levi becomes the third Sabres goalie under contract next season, joining Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Eric Comrie. Few prospects at the position make an immediate, or early, jump to the NHL, but Levi likely will be given the opportunity to earn a roster spot in training camp this fall. If a prospect is ready to help in Buffalo, no matter their position, Adams doesn’t want to block their path because history says they need a certain amount of games in the American Hockey League.
Levi's .942 save percentage in 66 games at Northeastern is the second best mark in the history of men’s college hockey, trailing only the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck, who finished his NCAA career with a mark of .946 in eight fewer games. Levi also had a career record of 38-22-6 and a 1.90 goals-against average with 16 shutouts, despite facing 32 shots on goal per game. Ryan Miller, who is considered the best college goalie ever, faced 26 shots per game during his time at Michigan State.
Levi was drafted in the seventh round, the 212th of 219 players selected in 2020, by the Florida Panthers after recording a 34-2-1 record and .941 save percentage with the Carleton Place Canadians of the Central Canada Hockey League. He didn’t play major junior, and he was the 19th goalie selected in that unusual draft that was delayed until October because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A few months later, Levi delivered a remarkable, historic performance for Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship. He led the team to a silver medal with a .964 save percentage, beating the record previously held by Carey Price, and a 0.75 goals-against average. Levi was named the tournament’s top goaltender and emerged as a legitimate NHL prospect.
An injury suffered at the tournament prevented Levi from appearing in a game at Northeastern, and he learned at the draft in July 2021 that his rights were traded by the Panthers to the Sabres in a deal that sent Sam Reinhart to Florida and also brought a 2022 first-round pick to Buffalo, which Adams used on Czech winger Jiri Kulich.
Levi established himself as one of the top drafted goalie prospects as a sophomore, earning a .952 save percentage – the second-best, full-season mark – and 10 shutouts in 32 games. He led the Huskies to the Hockey East regular-season title and NCAA tournament. Levi earned a litany of honors from across college hockey, including first-team All-American, Hockey East Goaltender of the Year, top collegiate rookie, finalist for the Hobey Baker and winner of the Mike Richter Award, which is given to the best goalie.
“I haven't really seen much like it before,” Northeastern goalie coach Mike Condon, who played parts of five seasons in the NHL, told The Buffalo News in a phone interview in July. "If Devon sees the puck, he's going to stop it. He’s one of those goalies, when there's a breakaway, you're not worried. When there's a two-on-one, you're not worried. I was so impressed with his performance in-game, but I'm very impressed with his just his demeanor as a person and what he brings to the team and how much he really cares about being a teammate.”
The Sabres tried to sign Levi last spring. He attended the team's morning skate ahead of a game in Boston. Adams and owner Terry Pegula sat with Levi in a suite at TD Garden for both games of the Frozen Four.
Levi opted to return to college because he missed a year with the injury and wanted to experience the weight of expectations. Northeastern struggled offensively many nights, but Levi led the Huskies to a second consecutive Beanpot tournament win after missing the event last year for the Winter Olympics. He stopped 63 of 66 shots against Boston and Harvard to win MVP honors.
There were some challenging times, but it was another impressive season. Levi finished with a .933 save percentage to become the conference's goalie of the year for a second consecutive season. He's also a finalist for the Hobey Baker and Mike Richter awards.
The performance earned Levi the salary of a top draft pick. According to PuckPedia, Levi is the only player drafted outside the first round in 2020 whose entry-level contract contains the maximum allowed salary, a signing bonus and close to maximum performance bonuses.
Adams will speak to the media Friday in Philadelphia ahead of the Sabres' game against the Flyers
Reinhart nets you Levi and Kulich, which is looking like a pretty sweet return.
Eichel gets you Ostlund, Tuch, Greenway, and Krebs.
Ristolainen gets you Rosen and Haag (who gets flipped for a 6th)
Breaking down a team is the easy part but still, gotta think the returns are looking good so far and the first look at the build is promising. - Zschalberg
Yeah, a lot of pieces there, know move onto your Defense and fix that.
Lance Reddīck dead at 60 of "natural causes." By natural causes we, of course, mean fentanyl laced coke. Amazing how anyone in a John Wick film can be shot 85 times and survive basically with little more than a 10-minute limp, but one rail of bad stuff and it's "natural causes."
I am not. But for those that are and have been saying that we can't afford to get anyone because player x needs a raise, the info is there. It's also something the Sabres could do that other teams would have struggled more with so I thought it was relevant to bring up. - Zschalberg
Here's the reported performance bonuses:
year 1: $0
year 2: $925,000
year 3: $1,000,000
Not close to max, but top 10 money. Savoie got 1m per year, Quinn 850k, Ostlund 475k per year.
Pretty high, assume that's what this fight was over. You don't earn those in the AHL, so it gives a very clear impression that he's pushing to be here quickly.
Lance Reddīck dead at 60 of "natural causes." By natural causes we, of course, mean fentanyl laced coke. Amazing how anyone in a John Wick film can be shot 85 times and survive basically with little more than a 10-minute limp, but one rail of bad stuff and it's "natural causes." - lacaprup
