There's a path to Panthers losing Mackie Samoskevich this summer

There’s a path to Panthers losing Mackie Samoskevich this summer originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Mackie Samoskevich has a bright future for the Florida Panthers.

Or, well, maybe for another team. It’s not impossible that the youngster is wearing a different uniform in the 2026-27 season.

The key here: Samoskevich is a restricted free agent. That means other teams can make him an offer sheet, but the Panthers can choose to match that and keep him.

The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman sees a path, though, where the Panthers can’t actually afford to match a bold offer sheet to Samoskevich.

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If that happens — if a team makes an over-the-top offer to Samoskevich — he could be gone.

“The Panthers don’t have too much work to do this summer,” Goldeman writes. “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.”

It really all comes down to math. A team can only match an offer sheet that would make sense to keep the salary on their books as otherwise constructed.

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And with the Panthers, things could get just a little tight.

“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.”

The Panthers seem likely to match almost any offer sheet, but there’s a price out there that would get it done.

Samoskevich is likely ready for a bigger role, and while the logical offseason path sees him remain in Florida, it’s not a given. Other teams could be lurking.

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