The Detroit Red Wings reset the market for a young goalie on Friday night, sending Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth for the No. 23 overall pick in the 2026 first round. That deal gives the Buffalo Sabres a clean benchmark if they decide to move Devon Levi.
Devon Levi and the Cossa return
Levi has already played more professional games than Cossa, including in the NHL, but his 2025-26 work at the AHL level was worse than the season before. That combination makes him a different case, not a simple copy, yet the return for Cossa shows where the market can land for a young goalie with leverage in trade talks.
The Red Wings did not settle for a lower-end draft chip. They got a first-round pick at No. 23 overall in 2026, a firm reference point for any club weighing a similar move at the position. For the Sabres, that matters because Levi is the name most often attached to the same kind of conversation.
Buffalo Sabres goaltending picture
The Sabres got solid contributions in 2025-26 from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colton Ellis, which is part of why Levi sits in a crowded group. That depth gives Buffalo room to consider a move, but it also means any decision has to clear a real bar: the return has to match the value of giving up a goalie who has already logged NHL time.
That is where the Cossa trade becomes useful. It shows that a young goaltender does not have to be viewed as a finished product to bring back a premium draft asset, but it also sets a price the Sabres would have to beat if they want to justify moving Levi now rather than holding him.
Sabres trade decision
The complication is simple. Levi has been part of trade discussion, yet it is not clear whether the Buffalo Sabres will actually trade him. They may want the flexibility that comes with dealing from depth, but the return has to be strong enough to make up for the fact that he is still one of the team’s goalie assets.
For now, the Cossa deal is the number to circle: No. 23 overall in the 2026 first round. If Buffalo shops Levi, that is the kind of pick range it will be measured against, and anything lower would look light next to what the Detroit Red Wings just secured.
Billy Heyen, a freelance writer with The Sporting News, framed the comparison by linking Cossa’s return to Levi’s possible market. The Sabres do not have to move Levi, but if they do, the first-round benchmark is already on the board.
