The Florida Panthers and Seattle Kraken connected for a trade on Sunday, involving a first-round pick. Mackie Samoskevich was traded from Florida to Seattle for a first-round pick in the upcoming draft and a 2027 second-round pick. A young forward, Samoskevich brings more upside to the Kraken’s middle-six. But did they overpay and open a championship window for Florida? We have the trade grades for both the Panthers and the Kraken on the Samoskevich trade.
Samoskevich was drafted 24th overall in the 2021 draft by the Panthers, making his NHL debut in 2023. He played his first full season in 2024-25, scoring 31 regular-season points and one playoff point to help Florida defend their Stanley Cup title. Last season, he bumped that career high to 32 points, but Florida missed the playoffs. He will turn 24 in November.
The Kraken took a big gamble on a young forward they hope can develop. Will that work out, or will the Panthers win this trade going away?
The Panthers get solid value for a depth piece
There is nothing about Samoskevich’s game that necessitated a trade from the Panthers. He was playing a solid bottom-six role, developing in one of the best systems in the league, and getting playoff experience. But with his entry-level deal expired and a new contract necessary, Florida sent him off for salary-cap reasons.
The Kraken sent the 25th overall pick, originally owned by the Tampa Bay Lightning, to the Panthers for Samoskevich. So Florida took Samoskevich 24th, got some important minutes from him, and turned him into the 25th pick, plus a second-rounder. With the number of expensive players on that roster, this is solid asset management from Bill Zito.
The Panthers get an A for this trade. There is a risk that the 25th pick is a bust, but that’s one Florida has to take considering their lack of cap space. They also could take the two new picks and flip them for an impact player. Dylan Larkin has the Panthers on his approved trade list, but if Connor Hellebuyck is available, Florida should be involved. This trade opens up some options for Zito that he did not have before.
High risk, high reward for the Kraken
The Kraken are about to start their sixth season as an NHL franchise, and they have won just one playoff round. With the Vegas Golden Knights in their third Stanley Cup Final in nine years, Seattle knows the “new team” excuse is running out. They have not developed any of their draft picks into stars, especially after Matty Beniers’ down season. Bringing in Samoskevich strengthens the forward depth, but it wasn’t cheap.
The Kraken picked up the 25th overall pick by trading Oliver Bjorkstrand to the Lightning at the 2025 trade deadline. They also have an extra first-rounder in the 2027 draft from that trade, so it is not all on Samoskevich to make up that value. But he does have to take a step forward offensively to get Seattle out of the NHL’s mushy middle.
The Kraken need to develop young stars to create a contender in a new hockey market. While Samoskveich wasn’t drafted by the club, his young age makes him a part of their young core moving forward. They will also add the 7th overall pick to the prospect pipeline in a matter of days.
The Kraken get a B+ for the Samoskevich trade. They properly identified the need for young forwards to push their group forward. But they dramatically overpaid for Samoskevich, who has never scored more than 15 goals in a season. Plus, they have to give him a new contract that starts on July 1, which will not be cheap after this trade.
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