SEATTLE (AP) — Few NHL teams are located in cities farther away from Sunrise, Florida, than Mackie Samoskevich’s new employer.
Samoskevich, previously of the Florida Panthers, was traded to the Seattle Kraken for the No. 25 pick this year and a second-rounder next year, which the Panthers then flipped to Ottawa for Brady Tkachuk hours later. The Kraken also re-signed fellow forward Bobby McMann to a long-term contract on Sunday.
Thankfully for the 23-year-old Samoskevich, his twin sister, Maddy, can give him plenty of tips on how to make the cross-continent move.
Maddy, who played college hockey in Connecticut at Quinnipiac, is a defender for the Vancouver Goldeneyes of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
“With her only being a couple hours away, it’s definitely a topic that came up right away,” Samoskevich said on a Zoom call on Monday. “I’ll be able to see her a little more, which will be great.”
Having his twin sister close by isn’t the only reason Samoskevich hopes to stick around in Seattle. He will need a new contract first, though, since he is a restricted free agent.
“I’ll leave that to the agents, that’s their job,” the one-time Stanley Cup champ said of signing a new contract. “I just got to worry about having a good offseason and making sure my body’s ready come training camp.”
When Samoskevich, who has 64 points across 160 NHL regular-season and playoff games, played for the Panthers, he said he disliked facing Seattle because of their skaters’ collective speed and skill.
Samoskevich hopes to provide the Kraken with a much-need infusion of talent after they missed the playoffs for the fourth time in their five years of existence. The No. 24 pick in the 2021 NHL draft became a lineup regular for the Panthers because of his skating and playmaking abilities, as well as his penchant for logging shots on goal.
The Kraken would benefit from the 5-foot-11 Samoskevich playing like current Montreal Canadiens coach and former Tampa Bay Lightning star Martin St. Louis, who he most closely models his game after. Seattle scored 2.73 goals per game in 2025-26, good for 28th in the NHL.
“He was one of those guys who I heard about his work ethic, and that’s something that I definitely cherish myself in,” Samoskevich said of St. Louis, who scored 391 goals in the NHL. “I’m not a big guy, obviously, but I got to find different ways to make an impact, for sure, and he was definitely one of those guys I watched.”
Outside of skating like St. Louis, Samoskevich hopes to bring elements of the way the Panthers played during his tenure there to the Emerald City. Admittedly, Samoskevich said, the rigorous game Florida presents to its opponents each night isn’t easy on its players.
But, the Panthers’ system was a successful one, and Samoskevich is optimistic the Kraken will find a way to bounce back next season.
“It’s something that obviously works at the end of the year, and playoffs and whatnot,” Samoskevich said. “So, it’s definitely something I want to bring over to Seattle, and hopefully win a ton of games for sure.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Learn how to make some of Jettywave Distillery’s most popular drinks as well as some classics. Read moreMixology 101: Cocktail Crafting
These days, life can feel like it has been turned upside-down. What was relied upon as norma… Read moreInspirational Talk - “A Spiritual Revolution: The Quest to Experience God”
TeacherBarbara said:
Noah’s article about his Dad Drew in honor of Father’s Day was one of the most touching, meaningful articles I have read in a long time.
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.