The Seattle Kraken have acquired Mackie Samoskevich from Florida on Sunday in exchange for the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional 2027 second-round selection.

Samoskevich finished the 2025-26 season with 32 points in 77 games, which was very similar to the 31 points in 72 games he attained in his rookie season of 2024-25. Although his 5-on-5 use has been somewhat limited over those two seasons, Samoskevich has emerged as a real power-play threat. In each of his two seasons, Samoskevich has reached double-digit power-play points (21 total over the past two seasons). His shot (2.1 SOG/GP) and hit (136 Hits) numbers are also favorable for multicategory fantasy leagues.

The Kraken are not necessarily a terrible team, but the mix has gotten stale. There is easy opportunity to turn over some of the forward group this offseason, though. All of Jaden Schwartz, Eeli Tolvanen, and Bobby McMann are unrestricted free agents. (Update: McMann has reportedly been re-signed to a six-year extension with a $5.75 AAV.)

Samoskevich (a pending RFA) will add skill to the Kraken, and he should receive a bigger role than he had in Florida. He should compete for meaningful middle-six minutes along with power-play time. Although Seattle coaches have a history of spreading out icetime and power-play time evenly among forwards, Samoskevich could see his total icetime increase 2-3 minutes per game from the 13-15 minutes he has averaged in Seattle. He could also emerge on the top power play, which would definitely improve his fantasy value.  

A normal trajectory might have Samoskevich reach 40 points with the same usage in Florida next season. If the icetime and power-play time increase in Seattle, Samoskevich could reach 45-55 points. This trade gives him solid sleeper potential for the 2026-27 season. Those numbers may not stand out in Seattle, but they at least increase Samoskevich's value.

Meanwhile, the Panthers may be trading Samoskevich to help leverage bigger opportunities. Could a change be coming in net? Rumors have been swirling that they are trying to trade for Connor Hellebuyck. How about Dylan Larkin? Remember the Panthers are one of the three teams that Larkin has on his trade list. With more significant changes possible, it's harder to speculate at this moment how the trade will affect the Panthers.

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Fantasy players this helps, in order:

Samoskevich

Matty Beniers (Samoskevich and Beniers were NCAA teammates at the University of Michigan)

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Fantasy players this hurts, in order:

No one in particular (the Kraken UFAs above are all listed as LW, like Samoskevich)

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