Seattle Kraken forward Mackie Samoskevich is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and the team said Saturday morning he will not suit up for the preseason finale against the Vancouver Canucks.
That leaves the 2026 NHL preseason to close without the 23-year-old winger, who was on the ice Thursday in Seattle’s 4-3 shootout win over the Calgary Flames. Samoskevich logged 18:30 of ice time in that game, finished plus-2, and did not record a point.
Seattle brought Samoskevich in during June in a trade with the Florida Panthers, adding a former first-round pick who has already built a solid NHL résumé. Florida took him No. 24 overall in the 2021 NHL Draft after he spent two seasons with the USHL’s Chicago Steel and then moved on to the University of Michigan.
At Michigan, Samoskevich put up 30 goals and 62 points in 79 games over two seasons before turning pro with the Panthers in 2023. He played his first seven NHL games in 2023-24, but did not appear in Florida’s Stanley Cup run that season. The next year, though, he had his name engraved on the trophy after posting 15 goals and 32 points in 76 games across the regular season and playoffs.
Samoskevich followed that with 10 goals and 32 points in 77 games during 2025-26, the final year of his entry-level deal. After the season, Florida dealt him to Seattle for a 2026 first-round pick, which was later flipped to the Ottawa Senators in the Brady Tkachuk trade, plus a conditional 2027 second-round pick. Samoskevich then signed a three-year contract with the Kraken worth $3.85 million per season.
In Other News...
Shane Wright Still Faces One Big Test With The Kraken
Shane Wrights place in Seattle looked unsettled earlier this offseason, when the former fourth-overall NHL draft pick was on the trade block but ultimately stayed put after no deal came together. Since then, the conversation around Wright has shifted from whether he would be moved to what he still needs to show with the Kraken, and that starts with giving the organization more offense to believe in.
His agent now says Wright is fully committed to the Kraken, which only raises the pressure on the 20-year-old to turn that commitment into production. For a player with his pedigree, the path forward is pretty clear: Seattle wants to see his game translate more consistently on the scoresheet, and his long-term future there may hinge on whether he can make that leap. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Montour Is Already Setting The Tone For The Kraken
The Kraken wrapped up their four-game preseason slate against the Vancouver Canucks, but the attention from their exhibition run had already drifted to Brandon Montour. In a recent game against Calgary, the defenseman flashed the kind of urgency Seattle hoped to add when it brought him in, making a notable stop in front of a scrambling crease and then speaking in the plain, no-frills way that has already started to define his place in the room.
Montours role carries extra weight because he is wearing an assistant captains letter, and the early read is that he is settling into the leadership group quickly. Around the same time, the organization also marked a notable sendoff for Bob Condor, who covered his final game as Kraken editor-in-chief and was honored with a personalized jersey, a reminder that this stretch of preseason has been about more than just line combinations and final roster decisions. For Seattle, the interesting part is how much of the tone-setting is already coming from a player still learning the contours of his new team. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Face One Trap That Could Ruin Their Preseason Momentum
The early returns have been encouraging for Seattle, which has opened preseason with a perfect start and looked like a group already finding its rhythm. The Kraken have gotten useful contributions from familiar names such as Jared McCann and Bobby McMann, while the goaltending mix has also given the club a steady foundation as it builds toward opening night.
Vancouver, though, arrives in a rougher place after dropping three straight preseason games and having trouble controlling play. Seattle should still like its chances in this matchup, but the kind of game that looks manageable on paper can turn slippery quickly if the Kraken ease off or assume the pace will take care of itself. [Read more 🡒]