The Seattle Kraken have made their first big splash of the offseason, acquiring right wing Mackie Samoskevich in a trade with the Florida Panthers. In return, the Kraken traded the 25th overall pick in this year’s draft, as well as a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 draft. The conditional pick will be either the Columbus Blue Jackets’ or Winnipeg Jets’ second-rounder, whichever ends up being the higher selection.
Samoskevich is a 23-year-old Connecticut native who spent two years at the University of Michigan, including one season with Kraken center Matty Beniers.
“Mackie is a talented young player who we are excited to bring into the fold,” said general manager Jason Botterill. “He has speed, skill and scoring ability. A Stanley Cup champion with the Panthers in 2025, Mackie’s a player who can contribute offensively and add a spark to our lineup.”
Samoskevich is a restricted free agent, so he still needs a new contract, but the Kraken now hold the young winger’s rights. Seattle will need to issue him a qualifying offer by June 30 to retain those rights and eventually sign him to a new deal. Per CapWages.com, his next contract is projected to come in around $3 million per year.
Sound Of Hockey’s own Curtis Isacke has already put together an All Shifts video of Samoskevich:
On a loaded Panthers team, Samoskevich had a bottom-six role. That said, his offensive skill earned him two minutes per game on the power play, including time on the top unit, where he scored 10 points with four goals and six assists.
Overall, Samoskevich has scored 63 points over the past two seasons, including 27 goals. The speedy winger also gets the puck on net, finishing with 161 shots, fourth most on the Panthers, while playing just 14:28 per night.
Listed at 5-foot-11, Samoskevich is not afraid to throw his body around, delivering 136 hits this past season. While that is not quite Jacob Melanson territory, as Melanson recorded 188 hits in 36 games, it ranked third on the Panthers roster and would have been third on the Kraken as well.
Samoskevich was drafted 24th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
The Kraken traded a similar pick, No. 25 overall in 2026, for a promising young forward who is already established at the NHL level. The conditional second-round pick is worth the return, as any player drafted 25th overall would likely need three to four more years of development, with no guarantee of becoming a regular NHL player. Historically, 56.3 percent of 25th overall picks have played 100 or more NHL games. Samoskevich has already played 156.
At 23, Samoskevich already has a Stanley Cup to his name. Although he is still young, bringing that winning experience to the Kraken should be a positive. He has a good shot and is not shy about shooting from the faceoff dots or getting to the dirty areas in front of the net.
We will see where Samoskevich slots into the lineup after training camp, but I would expect him to get a promotion from his role in Florida. My first guess would be that he starts out on the third line with Shane Wright.
This was an excellent trade for the Seattle Kraken and strong work by general manager Jason Botterill. What are your thoughts on the trade? Leave your comments below.