The Seattle Kraken made another move to reshape their forward group on July 1, 2026, agreeing to terms with Mackie Samoskevich on a three-year deal worth $3.85 million annually.
General manager Jason Botterill announced the signing after Seattle acquired Samoskevich from the Florida Panthers in a trade that sent a 2026 first-round pick from Tampa Bay and a 2027 conditional second-round pick to Florida.
“We’re very happy to have Mackie officially signed with the team for three years," said Botterill.” “He’s a proven winner who is skilled and brings speed and scoring ability to our group. We’re excited to get to work with him in the fall.”
Samoskevich arrives after a productive 2025-26 season in Florida, where the 23-year-old posted 32 points, including 12 goals and 20 assists, across 77 regular-season games. That was a career year in several categories: assists, points and games played all reached personal bests, and he also finished tied for sixth on the Panthers in power-play goals with four.
There were a few other notable moments mixed into that season, too. Samoskevich picked up a goal and an assist in his 100th career NHL game on Nov. 22, 2025 against Edmonton, and he also put together a three-game run with assists from Oct. 28 through Nov. 4, 2025.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound winger has 63 points, split between 27 goals and 36 assists, in 156 career regular-season games with Florida from 2023-2026. His first full NHL season came in 2024-25, and he made the most of it: he co-led the Panthers with five game-winning goals and finished with 15 goals and 31 points in 72 games.
Those 15 goals ranked seventh among Panthers rookies, while his 31 points were tied for the eighth-most by a rookie in franchise history. Among U.S.-born rookies that season, his goal total ranked fourth and his point total ranked fifth.
Samoskevich also got his first taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. He made his debut in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Tampa Bay on April 23 and collected an assist on Florida’s opening goal in what became a 6-2 win. He went on to appear in four games during the Panthers’ run to their second straight Stanley Cup that year.
Before becoming an NHL regular, Samoskevich logged 64 regular-season games in the AHL with Charlotte and produced 56 points, with 22 goals and 34 assists. He also spent two seasons at the University of Michigan from 2021-2023, including one alongside Seattle forward Matty Beniers in 2021-22. As a sophomore in 2022-23, he piled up 43 points in 39 games and helped Michigan capture its second straight Big Ten Tournament title.
His path to pro hockey also included time with the Chicago Steel in the USHL. Over parts of three seasons from 2018-19 through 2020-21, he recorded 73 points in 85 regular-season games and helped the Steel win the 2021 Clark Cup with 10 points in eight playoff contests.
Internationally, the Newtown, Connecticut native has represented the United States at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship and the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Florida originally selected him in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, taking him 24th overall.
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