Seattle is ponying up for a coveted young forward.
The Kraken acquired winger Mackie Samoskevich from the Florida Panthers in exchange for the 25th pick at this year’s draft and a conditional second-round pick in 2027, the teams announced Sunday.
Florida will get the higher of the Winnipeg Jets or Columbus Blue Jackets’ picks in next year’s draft.
Samoskevich, an impending restricted free agent, is coming off a solid season for the Panthers. The 23-year-old finished with 12 goals and a career-high 20 assists in 77 games while playing 14:28 of ice time per night.
A five-foot-11 forward, Samoskevich had the third-most hits among Panthers last season with 136 and finished first among Florida wingers with 33 blocks.
Despite playing in the bottom six for much of the season, the Michigan product finished with 161 shots on goal, the fourth-most on the Panthers, and played on the team’s second power-play unit.
Drafted by the Panthers 24th overall in 2021, the Newtown, Conn., native has 27 goals and 36 assists in 156 career NHL games.
He played alongside fellow Kraken Matty Beniers while at Michigan.
With the trade, the Panthers have now acquired a second first-round pick for Friday’s draft. They also have the ninth pick in this year’s draft after finishing 40-38-4 this past season.
The Kraken still control the No. 7 pick in the upcoming draft.
