1/21: The Sabres have recalled Levi and sent Comrie back to the minors – reversing the moves made yesterday.
1/20: The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Eric Comrie from the Rochester Americans of the AHL and in a corresponding move they’ve assigned netminder Devon Levi to Rochester. The Sabres had gone with three goaltenders at the NHL level earlier in the season, but have demoted Levi and Comrie at different times to try and open up some roster flexibility,
The 28-year-old Comrie has appeared three times for the Americans during his time in the AHL and has been terrific as he went 2-1 with a .951 save percentage and a goals-against average of 1.67. It was a dramatic turnaround from his numbers with the Sabres earlier in the season, as the Edmonton, Alberta native struggled in the NHL with a 1-5 record, a 4.01 goals-against average and a save percentage of .863.
22-year-old Devon Levi has also posted good numbers at the AHL level in limited action as he has gone 1-1 with a .921 save percentage and a 2.94 goals-against average. Much like Comrie, Levi has also struggled at the NHL level as he has dressed in 19 games registering an 8-7-2 record with a 3.32 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage.
While neither of the two netminders have cemented themselves as a full-time NHL backup this season, Levi has posted better underlying numbers according to MoneyPuck.com. While one would think that the Sabres would want to keep the stronger netminder of the two at the NHL, this move could be more about Levi’s development than anything else. The Sabres may want to get Levi into more games down the stretch, and given that he hasn’t been able to do so in the NHL, they might have deemed the best course to have him as a regular starter in the AHL.