On Sunday afternoon, the Florida Panthers traded former first-round pick and Stanley Cup winner, Mackie Samoskevich, to the Seattle Kraken. In the exchange, the Panthers will receive the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a conditional second-round pick in 2027. The Kraken dealt away their late first-round pick, previously acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Mar. 5, 2025.
We have acquired Tampa Bay’s 2026 first-round selection (previously acquired by Seattle) and a 2027 second-round selection (conditional) from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for forward Mackie Samoskevich.
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 21, 2026
Details » https://t.co/krM1KqB1GP pic.twitter.com/rR5A2Wl0vQ
As the 24th overall pick from the 2021 NHL Draft, Samoskevich has played 156 games with the Panthers, scoring 27 goals and 36 assists for 63 points, including 32 points last season in 77 games. He finished as Florida’s ninth-highest scorer and was one of only ten skaters to reach double digits in goals.
Initially drafted while skating in the USHL with the Chicago Steel, Samoskevich produced 0.86 points per game in the league with 26 goals and 73 points in 85 games. Instead of jumping to the AHL, he skated at the University of Michigan from 2021 through 2023, scoring 30 goals and 72 points.
Surprisingly, his best single-season performance came in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers during the 2022-23 season, when he lit the lamp 22 times and finished with 54 points, the only time he’s surpassed 50 points in professional hockey.
Samoskevich made his NHL debut on Oct. 12, 2023, and won the Stanley Cup as a member of the 2024-25 Panthers, despite playing in only four career playoff games.
Heading into this year’s draft, Florida now has two first-round picks, an unusual total for a franchise that has traded away their top picks from the previous three drafts. Immediately following the announcement of today’s deal, many insiders and fans are expecting General Manager Bill Zito to have something else in the works, since the Panthers now select 9th and 25th overall.
Considering the club does not have a goalie signed for next season and Sergei Bobrovsky is headed for free agency, could the club swing a deal for another netminder like Connor Hellebuyck or Jordan Binnington? Only time will tell.
Add us as a preferred source on Google