Why Panthers traded Mackie Samoskevich to Kraken, and what they got in return

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It had been suggested for a while, and it finally came to fruition.

The Florida Panthers traded Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken on Sunday.

The return? The No. 25 overall pick this year goes to Florida, and the Panthers will also receive a second-round pick next year, conditionally belonging to either the Blue Jackets or the Jets.

It's a bit of a bold move, but one that had been rumored for a while.

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Why did the Panthers trade Mackie Samoskevich to the Kraken?

The talented Samoskevich was a restricted free agent for a team without a certainty of being able to match a big offer sheet.

As an RFA, another team could've made him an offer in free agency that was hard for Florida to match, too.

"The Panthers don’t have too much work to do this summer," The Athletic's Shayna Goldman recently wrote. "Florida has 11 forwards and six defensemen already signed, so the bare-minimum summer checklist includes adding two forwards, one defenseman and two goalies. So, unless this team is planning on making a splash with a trade, extending Samoskevich should be pretty cut-and-dry — unless another team steps in and is willing to take a gamble with a pricey contract."

Florida barely would've had the cap space if that happened.

"Evolving-Hockey points to a $5.25 million cap hit on a six-year deal if Samoskevich were to sign outside of Florida," Goldman writes. "A new team would probably have to go bigger than that to 1) keep him out of the Panthers’ grasp and 2) account for the tax factor. While Samsokevich doesn’t have a long track record, he could be worth that swing. The 23-year-old is projected to have a market value worth $6.7 million, on average, over the next six years."

Instead of dealing with that, the Panthers turn Samoskevich into future assets.

It's a smart move, while Seattle takes a chance on a talented youngster.